A view of Jin'an Lake in Fuzhou, Fujian province. CHINA DAILY

A foreign visitor learns about domestically produced ship engines at the World Maritime Equipment Conference 2026, held in Fuzhou from Oct 16 to 19. CHINA DAILY

Over the past five years, Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian province, has advanced the "3820" strategic project — an economic and social development blueprint spanning three, eight and 20 years, geared toward the overarching goal of building a modern international city.

The city's GDP has risen from about 1 trillion yuan to over 1.5 trillion yuan (about $160 billion to over $220 billion) within the five years. Its standing as the provincial capital has been consolidated, with an average annual growth rate of 6 percent — outpacing both national and provincial averages — and its economic contribution to Fujian has risen to 25.1 percent.

Fuzhou was among five cities worldwide to receive the inaugural Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities (Shanghai Award) from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in 2023.

Autumn has brought construction activity across Fuzhou. An intelligent manufacturing industrial park for robots, with a planned investment of about 500 million yuan, is taking shape and attracting upstream and downstream suppliers to the area.

At the Fuxing Economic Development Zone in Jin'an district, ground has been broken for the Fuzhou Optoelectronics E-Valley project. It will use multistory factory buildings to expand industrial output amid limited land resources.

Major projects and investment attraction are underpinning growth and unlocking future productive potential. Fuzhou has prioritized investment promotion and key project delivery, landing more than 7,500 industrial projects. It maintains the leading position in Fujian in both the quantity and total investment scale of key provincial-level projects.

Innovation is also deeply embedded in industrial upgrading. At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Fuzhou-based companies showcased cutting-edge advances. At Rockchip Electronics' booth, an AI-powered television converted 2D footage into 3D in real time, while Ruijie Networks displayed a full-rack computing supernode system covering data-center architecture, equipment coordination, high-speed interconnection and large-scale deployment.

The city has cultivated six industry clusters and four industrial parks, each with an output value exceeding 100 billion yuan. Fuzhou has been designated a national pilot city for the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises and for new-type manufacturing technological upgrading. It has featured among China's top 20 advanced manufacturing cities for four consecutive years.

Hosted in Fuzhou for nine editions, the Digital China Summit has helped raise the city's digital economy to over 870 billion yuan, accounting for more than 57 percent of its GDP. Fuzhou is also developing a national marine economy demonstration zone and has hosted the World Maritime Equipment Conference four times.

Meanwhile, the China (Fuzhou) International Seafood and Fisheries Expo has evolved into the world's second-largest specialized fisheries exhibition, and Fuzhou continues to lead the country in total fishery output value.

Openness runs deep in Fuzhou's DNA. Over the past five years, the city has widened high-standard opening-up and better leveraged its role as provincial capital to serve national development strategies.

On Sept 16, Terminal 2 at Fuzhou Changle International Airport opened, ushering in a new era of dual terminals and dual runways. To date, 36 airlines operate 134 routes that link the airport to 108 destinations across the globe.

In June, the World Bank and S&P Global released their Container Port Performance Index 2025, where Fuzhou Port claimed the world's No 1 spot for the first time. According to the Report on China's Port Economy Development in 2025, the port's economic added value surpassed 200 billion yuan, making Fuzhou Port the only new entrant into China's tier-one seaport cohort that year.

Opening-up extends beyond ports and runways; it is driven by institutional innovation. The Fuzhou Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone has introduced 41 nationally pioneering measures, and the Minjiang Digital Trade Corridor's service base and two centers serve as Fujian's first integrated service hub supporting local companies' global expansion.

Ultimately, openness is forged through people-to-people exchanges. Fuzhou has held the China Fuzhou International Investment Promotion Month for three consecutive years, helping to attract 3,080 newly established foreign-funded companies and $16.7 billion in contracted foreign investment.

Its sister-city network now encompasses 26 partners, and the city has received the International Friendship Cities Award for Outstanding Contribution. Under a national program for US youths to participate in an exchange and study program, the "Bond with Kuliang" series has run for four consecutive years. Every interaction brings people closer and expands Fuzhou's global circle of partners.

Fuzhou anchors its urban planning in ecological conservation and green development, turning its mountains, rivers and coastal landscapes into accessible assets for local residents.

The city has built a four-layer framework covering ecological protection, ecological governance, water system restoration and improvement of the living environment. In 2023, the Minjiang River estuary wetland was officially inscribed on the List of Wetlands of International Importance, serving as a showcase for China's biodiversity conservation efforts. In 2025, Fuzhou earned certification as an International Wetland City, demonstrating how wetland preservation and urban growth can advance hand in hand.

Wetlands cover 193,100 hectares across Fuzhou, accounting for 15.05 percent of its total land area. Forest coverage has reached 55 percent, placing the city among the top provincial capitals nationwide.

Sound ecological conditions also translate into tangible economic gains. Fuqing is home to one of the world's largest direct-drive floating offshore wind turbines in terms of unit capacity and rotor diameter, a signature achievement of Fuzhou's manufacturing sector.

If natural scenery forms Fuzhou's scenic backdrop, people-centered well-being is its highlight. Education, eldercare, food security and medical services are key areas shaping residents' pursuit of better lives.

Over the past five years, Fuzhou has upheld a people-first approach, devoting nearly 80 percent of its annual fiscal expenditure to improving public welfare. In education, the city has expanded and upgraded basic resources and become a national pilot zone for comprehensive basic education reform.

Progress has been made across vocational and higher education: Fuzhou Polytechnic was authorized to deliver bachelor-degree programs; the Fuzhou Research Institute of Renmin University of China was set up; and Fuyao University of Science and Technology obtained approval for launch.

In healthcare, three national-level regional medical centers have been established to aid the sharing and integration of high-quality medical resources. The city's social welfare institute is among China's first demonstration facilities for integrated medical and eldercare services. Fuzhou leads the province in both the number of eldercare institutions and service capacity. In the past five years, Fuzhou added more than 10,000 eldercare beds.

The city has also stepped up efforts to promote core socialist values. New-era civilization practice centers have been established to cover all administrative jurisdictions, while new venues including a science museum, children's library and cultural center have opened.

Fuzhou continues to safeguard its status as a national-level historic and cultural city. Patriotic education bases are leveraged, and consumption momentum is being cultivated around football leagues and Fuzhou dragon boat events.

Through down-to-earth practical actions, Fuzhou is writing a tangible record of improved public well-being for its citizens.