BEIJING, May 9 -- Central China's Henan Province, one of the country's primary breadbasket provinces, is accelerating the construction of a national innovation highland and an important talent center with high-quality development.

Wang Kai, governor of the province, told a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday that Henan has achieved three major transformations, namely from a traditional agricultural province to an emerging industrial province, from a traditional transportation hub to a modern transportation hub and from a traditional inland province to an inland open highland.

Henan now boasts 13 national key laboratories and some 12,000 high-tech enterprises. Technological innovation has become the primary driving force for Henan's development, leading the transformation of Henan's development momentum, structure, and quality. In 2023, the number of invention patents granted in Henan increased by 20.3 percent.

Henan also prioritizes the real economy as the foundation of its development, accelerating the construction of a strong manufacturing province. Strategic emerging industries such as advanced equipment, electronic information, and biomedicine have become the main driving forces for industrial growth.

In 2023, the province's investment in high-tech manufacturing increased by 22.6 percent, 12 percentage points higher than the national average. Products such as optical communication chips, sensors, and superhard materials have been leading market shares nationwide.

As one of the most populous provinces, Henan is committed to accelerating the development of agriculture in the rural revitalization strategy. The planting area for grains in Henan remains stable at over 160 million mu (about 10.7 million hectares) annually and grain output stable at over 65 million tonnes for seven consecutive years.