Zhejiang begins Year of the Horse with push for common prosperity

Zhejiang province convened its annual "first meeting of Chinese New Year" on Feb 24, the first working day of the Year of the Horse, setting a renewed focus on common prosperity and high-quality growth.

The meeting centered on upholding a results-oriented approach to governance, advancing the "Double-Eight Strategy" — a long-term development blueprint for the province — and accelerating efforts to build Zhejiang into a pilot zone for common prosperity.

During the meeting, officials described the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) as a decisive phase for narrowing income gaps and strengthening the province's economic base. Improving residents' quality of life was framed as the ultimate performance benchmark, with emphasis on aligning development outcomes with public benefit.

The roughly three-hour meeting also featured video-linked sessions in which representatives from all 11 cities outlined annual targets and policy measures, with more than half of the meeting devoted to these presentations.

Chen Lihua, Party secretary of Kaihua county under the jurisdiction of Quzhou, said the county is cultivating industries tailored to local conditions and aims for residents' income to surpass the national average by 2027.

Local governments pledged concrete goals, including positioning Hangzhou as a leading artificial intelligence innovation hub, increasing the number of major industrial projects exceeding 100 million yuan ($145.51 million) and 1 billion yuan, and aiming for positive growth in fixed-asset investment and about 5 percent growth in retail sales.