At the beginning of 2025, Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu and other places have successively announced the start of the first batch of major projects this year, sprinting from the beginning, and "tightening the bow and string" to help the economy "get off to a good start". Major project construction has always been regarded by the industry as the "ballast stone" for stabilizing investment and economy, and also the "strong engine" for promoting high-quality economic development. In my opinion, the active promotion of early commencement and production of major projects in various regions fully reflects the importance attached to their driving role. The "greatness" of major projects lies in the large amount of capital investment required. From the early planning and design of the project to the mid-term construction, equipment procurement, and other aspects, continuous financial support is needed. These investments can directly form a large amount of effective investment, which in turn plays a direct driving role in economic growth. The latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that in the first 11 months of 2024, investment in projects with a planned total investment of one billion yuan or more increased by 6.8% year-on-year, which is 3.5 percentage points higher than total investment; Pulling the total investment growth by 3.7 percentage points, the driving effect of major project investment can be seen. In addition to starting early, there are also multiple highlights in the promotion of major project construction in various regions this year. Firstly, there are numerous projects and a large investment scale. For example, in the first quarter of this year, Beijing will promote the construction of 160 major projects in urban areas, including 38 key projects with a total investment of over 290 billion yuan. The number of new projects and total investment in key projects in Beijing in the first quarter are the highest in the same period of previous years. The list of major projects in Jiangsu Province this year also highlights the increase in new construction. This year, 274 new construction projects have been arranged, accounting for 55%, of which 69% are industrial projects, an increase of 5 percentage points year-on-year. In just one quarter, Jiangsu Province plans to start 2807 projects worth over 100 million yuan, an increase of 97 compared to last year. Secondly, the increase in "new" content highlights the leading role of technological innovation. For example, Anhui Province held the first batch of major project kick-off mobilization meeting for 2025 on January 2nd, mobilizing 622 major projects with a total investment of 405.75 billion yuan and an annual planned investment of 111.98 billion yuan. Among them, projects invested in emerging industries account for 55.3%, manufacturing projects account for 59.5%, and high-tech projects account for 40%. Jiangsu Province has arranged a total of 225 strategic emerging and future industry projects this year, a year-on-year increase of 21%, accounting for over 60% of the manufacturing industry. A number of projects that can effectively strengthen the supply chain and solve bottleneck problems have also been included in the list. These projects involving cutting-edge technologies such as strategic emerging industries face high technological barriers on the one hand, and require significant investment in funds and manpower on the other hand. Promoting the increase of major projects with "new" content in various regions will inevitably increase investment in related technology research and development. While promoting the continuous transformation of scientific and technological achievements, it will also promote industrial upgrading and coordinated development. Finally, we will continue to support social undertakings, urban renewal, and other livelihood projects. For example, the overall investment plan for Beijing in 2025 is "5 more prominent", which includes "more prominent livelihood security and continuous improvement of a balanced and accessible public service system". Compared with previous years, the new characteristics of Beijing's project arrangement this year are also reflected in strengthening the construction of modern infrastructure system, adhering to the priority of transportation and electricity, improving urban resilience and operational efficiency, deepening the governance of "big city diseases", and adding a number of projects in areas such as rail transit, highways, and energy security. Early arrangement, early start, early production, and early results. After major projects with the above highlights are completed and put into operation, they will effectively optimize the industrial structure and promote industrial upgrading. At the same time, major projects continue to promote the optimization of resource allocation, which will drive regional coordinated development, increase revenue and profits of related enterprises, create a large number of job opportunities, and thereby boost the consumer market, fully activate economic vitality, and inject a continuous stream of strong momentum into macroeconomic stability and sustained growth. (New Society)