Shanxi Party secretary says province will balance coal supply with green shift

Tang Dengjie, Party secretary of Shanxi province, delivered a work report at the 13th Congress of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China on Tuesday in Taiyuan, highlighting the province's plans for green energy transition.

Over the next five years, the province intends to intensify efforts to promote its energy transition by achieving new results in building a new energy system and accelerating the transformation from a major coal-producing province to a strong energy province. Tang said the shift will come in balance with Shanxi's responsibility of supplying coal energy to the nation.

He added that Shanxi aims to maintain overall stability in production capacity and output, promote intelligent upgrades in coal mines, and enhance green and safe mining levels, while simultaneously advancing the construction of a coal production, supply, storage, and marketing system.

There will be a strong push for the clean and efficient use of coal in the province, elevating the coal industry from low-end to high-end and transforming coal products from primary fuel to high-value products.

Cultural tourism will also be a priority. Tang stated that Shanxi aims to apply digital intelligence in the culture and tourism sector, while enriching the supply of high-quality, distinctive, and experiential cultural tourism products. "We aim to build the cultural tourism industry into a pillar, livelihood, and happiness industry, accelerating the construction of a strong cultural tourism province," he said.

Disseminating traditional Shanxi culture remains at the forefront. The province intends to build platforms and bridges for international cultural trade. "We are striving to create an international cultural brand with Shanxi characteristics, allowing traditional Shanxi culture to shine with new vitality in inheritance, innovation, and international communication," he said.

Tang also detailed the results of the previous five years, during which Shanxi's regional GDP surpassed 2.5 trillion yuan ($374.3 billion) and the per capita GDP exceeded $10,000.

Tourism traffic received a boost, as the province constructed 13,000 kilometers of highways connecting the Yellow River, the Great Wall, and the Taihang Mountains.

Cultural relic preservation was also a success. The province strengthened the systematic protection of 531 national treasure sites, implemented major projects for the protection of national-level cultural relics, and explored the use of local government general bonds to increase support for the protection of over 50,000 lower-level cultural relics.