Machines roared, cranes stood in great numbers, engineering vehicles shuttled back and forth…During the Spring Festival, the construction of Jinan-Laiwu High-speed Railway was in full swing, sounding the bugle for engineering construction.

To ensure a steady and good start in the first quarter, stabilizing investment is the top priority. According to the Shandong Development and Reform Commission (SDRC), Shandong has underscored the demonstrative, leading, supporting and driving role of major projects, promoted the accelerated implementation of 2,000 key provincial projects, gone all out for a good start and the initiative, ensured that projects commenced as scheduled, and leveraged the driving role of investment, thereby providing strong support for a steady and good start.

Shandong released the list of 600 major provincial projects in 2022 on January 18 and then the list of 1,400 key provincial projects, earlier than the previous years. "Shandong has planned key provincial projects early, highlighted major strategies, innovation-driven development and the goal of green, low-carbon development, fulfilled the key tasks of economic and social development by implementing major projects in key fields such as infrastructure of 'seven networks", industry chain and supply chain stabilization, safeguard of living standards, and ecological and environmental treatment, and arranged 2,000 key provincial projects in 2022, demonstrating the moderateness and advancement of policies," according to a head of SDRC.

The key provincial projects released earlier have stronger driving forces. The number of key provincial projects this year is 400 more than that last year; these projects have a planned annual investment of 650 billion yuan, up nearly 20% from last year; projects in emerging industries and those aimed to address inadequacies account for over 70%.

Shandong has sped up project construction while conducting early planning. According to the head, Shandong has enhanced the system of advancing key provincial, municipal and county projects, improved the ledger management system for major projects, adhered to monthly scheduling, analysis and notification, conducted process management according to schedules, provided factor support with a focus on addressing bottlenecks and difficulties, initiated and implemented projects, improved efficiency, secured schedules and ensured full-capacity production by all means, promoted the accelerated implementation of 2,000 key provincial projects, advanced over 15,000 key provincial, municipal and county projects in coordination, and organized the commencement of major projects in the first quarter, so as to ensure a steady and good start in the first quarter.

Factor support is critical to project speed. Shandong has taken factor support into consideration early in project planning, adhered to overall planning at the provincial level and factor allocation level by level, improved the policy system for factor support, formed operable supporting measures in line with national policies for factor allocation, promoted precise match and balanced connection between key provincial projects and the policy system, improved the efficiency and benefit of factor allocation, and leveraged the role of intensive use of factors in driving effective investment.