Standing on Helan Mountain and looking into the distance, the once dry sandy beach has been covered by blue photovoltaic oceans and modern agricultural greenhouses. From the command of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in 1996, Fujian and Ningxia crossed two thousand kilometers of mountains and seas to hold hands, to the normalization of cooperation between the east and the west in the first year of the 15th Five Year Plan in 2026, this land is undergoing a profound transformation from blood transfusion to hematopoiesis.

Thirty years of collaboration have yielded fruitful results

Since the establishment of paired assistance in 1996, the two provinces of Fujian and Ningxia have persisted in drawing a blueprint to the end. Over the past 30 years, more than 4100 projects have been implemented, benefiting 2.44 million people. From the initial cultivation of fungi and grass to the current Fujian enterprise Ningxia resource model, cooperation has evolved from one-way poverty alleviation to an industrial integration pattern of complementary advantages and mutual benefit.

Normalized assistance opens up a new journey

2026 is the first year of regular assistance. China further improves the cooperation mechanism between the east and the west, Guangdong and Guangxi move from assistance to co creation, Beijing and Inner Mongolia deepen cooperation in new energy, and Shanghai and Yunnan jointly promote new materials and biomedicine. By jointly building parks and exchanging talents, we can promote regional coordinated development to a deeper level.

The road to shared prosperity never stops

Data shows that during the transition period, cooperation between the east and the west has helped more than 5 million rural laborers in the western region achieve employment, jointly built nearly 800 industrial parks, and guided investment of over 750 billion yuan in the eastern region. With the implementation of the 15th Five Year Plan, China will continue to anchor the goal of common prosperity, promote equalization of public services, and enable the achievements of the joint efforts of mountains and seas to benefit more people.Editor/Gao Xue