East China's Zhejiang province is holding its "two sessions", referring to the fifth session of the 13th Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress and the fourth session of the 12th Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, in the provincial capital of Hangzhou this week.

A number of deputies to the congress and members of the CPPCC Zhejiang committee shared their views on Zhejiang's economic and social development while being interviewed at the two sessions.

Many small and medium-sized companies suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, mainly because their products and management were not strong enough to resist the shockwaves, said Deputy Wang Shuifu, who is also chairman of XIZI UHC Co, a large industrial group that saw strong revenue growth amid the pandemic.

"To strengthen economic resilience and risk-resistance, Zhejiang enterprises have to continuously improve their quality," Wang said.

Wang Shuifu [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Ye Liaoning is a member of the CPPCC Zhejiang committee and chairman of Sunny Optical Technology Group, a leading manufacturer of optical products. He was impressed by Zhejiang's new goal of developing itself into a cradle of "single-item manufacturing champions", as stated in the provincial government report.

"Only at the forefront of an industry can an enterprise have a far-reaching vision and seize upon new business opportunities," Ye said, "these manufacturing champions will help the province form a supply chain for emerging industries in the new era."

Ye Liaoning [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Ying Boping, a member of the CPPCC Zhejiang committee and deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, said that 2020 was the first year of Zhejiang's "Beautiful Towns" campaign. He pointed out that Zhejiang's small towns are eclipsed by villages and cities in terms of their landscape.

At the end of 2020, Zhejiang authorities announced a list of 110 exemplary "Beautiful Towns" across the province.  Meicheng town in the city of Jiande is particularly inspiring to Ying, as it is not only home to well-preserved historic architecture and cultural traditions, but has also developed new industries.

Ying said that the development of a small town must focus on building a strong industrial sector, which will be critical to new-pattern urbanization in the coming years.

Ying Boping [Photo/zjol.com.cn]