A press conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as for exploring the economic and social development of Laibin is held on Aug 20. [Photo/gxzf.gov.cn]

As one of the youngest prefecture-level cities in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Laibin has realized a historic transformation, evolving from an agricultural region to an industrial city in the past 70 years, creating a new situation in which all its undertakings have prospered and developed.

According to the press conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as to explore the economic and social development of Laibin, the city’s GDP has increased from 11.47 billion yuan ($16.03 billion) in 2002 to 69.2 billion yuan in 2018, an average annual increase of 10.3 percent. Its fiscal revenue increased from 1.02 billion yuan in 2002 to 5.073 billion yuan, an average annual increase of 12.5 percent.

Laibin was established as a prefecture-level city on Dec 28, 2002, with a total population of 2.7 million, of which its minority population accounts for 78 percent of the total. Nong Shengwen, Party secretary of Laibin, said at the press conference that after years of development, the city has now become an important connection of the north and south of Guangxi, as well as for west and east Guangxi, becoming an important part of the western Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

It has built the most complete sugar industry chain in the whole region and even the whole country. It has also become the largest manganese alloy production base in China, as well as an important power and energy production base in Guangxi.

In the future, Laibin will firmly grasp the great opportunity of the construction of the Greater Bay Area, fully implement the Eastern Integration strategy, as well as strive to build a new hub for the transfer of eastern industries in Guangxi.