The fourth session of the 17th Liwan District People's Congress kicked off in Guangzhou on February 27. Fan Bohuan, director of the Standing Committee of Liwan District People's Congress, hosted the opening ceremony.

Tan Minghe, the head of Liwan District, presented the government's work report. According to Tan, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Liwan District in 2023 reached 1,277.93 billion RMB, marking a growth of 4.8% compared to the previous year, ranking fifth in Guangzhou and surpassing the city's average growth rate.

Tan indicated that the added value achieved by large-scale industries amounted to 241.16 billion RMB, showing an annual growth rate of 5.6%. The general public budget revenue reached 57.89 billion RMB, reflecting an annual growth rate of 8.3% and ranking first in the city in various key indicators.

Productive service industries witnessed improvement, with 1,114 large-scale productive service enterprises in the district generating a revenue of 306.5 billion RMB, up by 6.4% year-on-year. The software and information technology service industry recorded a revenue growth of 15.4%, ranking second in the city. Innovation and enterprise nurturing capabilities have been effectively enhanced, with a 9% increase in annual R&D investment and a record high of 305 high-tech enterprises in the district, marking a growth of 7.4%. Additionally, 667 science and technology SMEs were registered in the district, showing a growth rate of 40.4%, ranking third in the city.

Liwan witnessed the rise of innovative talents, with 72 individuals having recieved special allowances from the district government, and another 125 high-level talents and 17 highly skilled talents being recognized. The development of a national intellectual property-strong county pilot project accelerated, resulting in an increase of 2,756 patents granted, with a growth rate of 49.8%, ranking first in the city. Support was provided to 16 companies for intellectual property pledge financing, amounting to 1.107 billion RMB. The district's work on intellectual property was selected as an outstanding case in Guangdong's 2023 trademark and brand development efforts.

The conference reviewed the draft plan for the development of grassroots democracy by the District People's Congress and its Standing Committee, the execution report of the 2023 national economic and social development plan alongside the draft plan for 2024, the execution report of the 2023 budget and its draft for 2024, as well as the completion status of the ten livelihood projects in 2023 and the candidate projects for 2024.

Furthermore, the conference voted on the draft regulations for the voting process of the livelihood projects during the fourth session of the Seventeenth District People's Congress.