“As we embark on the 15th Five-Year Plan, Liangshan has entered a critical window of opportunity for breakthrough development,” stated Zhang Wenwang, Deputy Secretary of the Liangshan Prefectural Committee and Governor, at a recent press conference themed around the province’s progress. The event, part of the “Myriad Vistas of Sichuan” series, highlighted the region's ambitious agenda for the upcoming period.
Liangshan’s confidence is rooted in its exceptional resources. The prefecture boasts the world’s highest arch dam, the deepest and largest underground dark matter laboratory, and the only GAP-certified breeding base for insect-based medicinal materials. Moreover, it produces the world's largest high-purity titanium ingots, with a growing array of “Created in Liangshan” and “Made in Liangshan” products gaining global recognition.
For the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Liangshan has set a clear strategic priority: to develop new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions. By leveraging its resource endowment, industrial base, and scientific research capabilities, the region aims to deeply integrate technological and industrial innovation, seizing the initiative as it transitions between old and new growth drivers.
Unlocking the Value of Strategic Resources
Liangshan holds a strategic resource treasure trove in the Panxi region, with reserves of 13 minerals ranking first in the province. However, local leadership recognizes that resources cannot be forever exported as low-value primary products; the key is to transform them into higher-value goods. According to Governor Zhang, Liangshan will leverage the Panxi Strategic Resource Innovation and Development Pilot Zone to concentrate efforts on overcoming technical bottlenecks in areas like deep vanadium-titanium processing and high-end rare earth applications. The goal is to shift from simply selling raw materials to a full-chain model of “selling materials, components, and finished products,” aiming for the strategic resource industry's output value to surpass 128 billion yuan by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This transformation is intended to convert resource advantages into industrial, employment, and tax revenue strengths.
To achieve this, innovation is placed at the core of development. Liangshan is focused on tackling “choke point” technologies in vanadium-titanium deep processing and high-end rare earth functional materials, with the ambition of building a world-class vanadium-titanium industrial cluster and a national-level rare earth R&D and manufacturing base. Industrial projects are seen as a cornerstone for economic transformation, with plans for 42 major projects with a total estimated investment of 516.6 billion yuan. A key focus is on accurately developing and locally converting vanadium, titanium, rare earth, and copper resources. Hu Dingxian, Director of the Liangshan Prefecture Economy and Information Technology Bureau, cited rare earth as an example, detailing a full-chain project layout—from mining and separation to metal smelting and processing—to extend high-value-added industrial chains and drive high-quality development. This year alone, Liangshan plans to start construction on 100 industrial projects and complete another 100.
The focus also shifts to clean energy, with Liangshan adopting a “multi-energy complementary” strategy. The region benefits from diverse and advantageous clean energy sources, having initially established an integrated development pattern for hydro, wind, solar, hydrogen, and storage, with total installed capacity surpassing 55 million kilowatts. Governor Zhang outlined plans to accelerate the construction of pumped-storage and major hydropower stations, adding over 18 million kilowatts of wind and solar capacity and more than 2.4 million kilowatts of hydropower. Beyond power generation, Liangshan is advancing a hydrogen energy corridor, aiming to build a comprehensive “production, storage, transportation, refueling, and application” system for green hydrogen. The goal is to establish “Liangshan Green Hydrogen” as a regional brand, leverage green power for direct supply to new materials and high-end equipment sectors, and exceed a total output value of 100 billion yuan in the clean energy industrial chain by the end of the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Pioneering New Frontiers in Aerospace, Data, and Agriculture
Liangshan has been actively making strides in the commercial aerospace sector this year. Actions include establishing an equity investment fund for the Western Commercial Spaceport and releasing a development plan for the 2025-2035 period. Leveraging its unique technological, geographical, and climatic advantages, Liangshan will build a high-standard western commercial spaceport, promoting the integration of “satellites, launch vehicles, launches, and applications.” This initiative aims to attract major projects and achieve a strategic leap from merely supporting space launches to actively participating in the commercial aerospace industry.
The wave of the digital economy is also making an impact. Liangshan plans to integrate into the national “East Data, West Computing” project, establishing a computing-power integration pattern centered on a pilot zone in Yanyuan County. By supplying 100% green power, it intends to provide low-cost, zero-carbon energy to support computing demands from the Chengdu-Chongqing region and eastern provinces, positioning itself as a national hub for computing and electricity synergy.
The influence of new quality productive forces extends beyond factories and data centers into agriculture. Governor Zhang believes that the agricultural sector also requires new drivers. Liangshan’s agricultural technology has already achieved notable success, with super hybrid rice, dryland wheat, and potatoes setting regional and national yield records. The next steps involve empowering agricultural development through technological innovation, implementing a seed industry revitalization initiative, and constructing or upgrading 700,000 mu of high-standard farmland. By strengthening these foundations, Liangshan aims to solidify its role in the “Tianfu Granary.” Furthermore, it plans to extend the entire agricultural industry chain through technological advancements, promoting the integrated development of supply chains, deep processing chains, and brand value chains. The focus will be on enhancing the “Daliangshan” regional public brand by improving the added value of specialty products, transforming items like Huili pomegranates, Yanyuan apples, Leibo navel oranges, and Jinyang green peppers from simple “local specialties” into refined, high-value brands.
Comments