No coal, no worries

In 2007, Shizuishan was designated as one of the nation's first pilot cities for resource exhaustion, and over the past 17 years has explored new innovative development based on its industrial advantages.

It is also among the first demonstration areas for the transformation and upgrading of the industrial sectors of what are deemed "old industrial cities" and "resources-based cities".

Chu said efforts have been made to improve energy-saving, reduce power consumption of traditional industries, extend industrial chains, increase added value, and promote industrial transformation and upgrading.

The pace of the new industrialization is accelerating, he said, with clusters forming in "eight industrial chains" including photovoltaics, lithium batteries, equipment manufacturing, electronic information, rare metal materials, and the cyanamide chemical industry.

The value added by the manufacturing industry grew by 10 percent last year, that of strategic emerging industries by 22 percent and high-tech manufacturing by 149 percent.

"The remarkable effects of the readjustment, transformation and upgrading of the old industrial base in Shizuishan are evident," Chu said, adding that the city received commendations from the National Development and Reform Commission for three consecutive years.

In 2023, its GDP increased 3.8 percent year-on-year to reach about 69.89 billion yuan.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), the output value of strategic emerging industries in Shizuishan increased at an average annual rate of 28.7 percent, while energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP decreased by 11.3 percent, data from the local authorities showed.