On September 14th, in Tongjiang County, Bazhong City, the two turbine units of the Sichuan Energy Investment Bazhong (Tongjiang) Gas Power Project were operating normally. Three months earlier, this project had been fully commissioned, with an annual power generation capacity of 2.371 billion kilowatt-hours and an annual output value of approximately 1.5 billion yuan, filling a gap in the local energy industry.
This transformation traces back three years, to September 12, 2023, when a provincial work conference on supportive assistance for 39 underdeveloped counties was held. The meeting proposed leveraging the exemplary and leading role of state-owned enterprises, focusing on industrial assistance, deepening the "SOEs' City and Prefecture Tour," strengthening project docking and implementation, driving industrial structural transformation and upgrading, and channeling capital, technology, information, and other factors toward these underdeveloped counties. Under the coordinated planning of the Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, 78 central enterprises in Sichuan and local state-owned enterprises undertook tasks such as county-level industrial cultivation, infrastructure construction, and development of advantageous resources. Leveraging the "1+1 help 1" mechanism, they provided "matrix-style" assistance to all 39 underdeveloped counties across the province.
Over the past three years, the province's state-owned assets and enterprises have shouldered their social responsibilities, accelerating the pace of addressing shortcomings and consolidating development foundations for these 39 underdeveloped counties, embarking together on a journey toward revitalization. China Guoneng Dadu River Basin Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. has provided supportive assistance to Butuo County, establishing a black sheep industry park there.
At the beginning of this path: clarifying the assistance mechanism to lay a solid foundation with "blood transfusion"
The first step in supportive assistance is to establish a clear mechanism—matching each underdeveloped county with one central enterprise in Sichuan and one local state-owned enterprise. The assisting SOEs are required to establish a working mechanism where the leadership team holds primary responsibility, dedicated teams and personnel drive progress, and dispatched cadres take on core roles. They must also formulate medium- and long-term assistance plans and annual implementation plans tailored to each enterprise's specific circumstances. With a clear "blueprint," the vision transforms into reality.
On the one hand, focusing on "funding"—assistance funds are being increased. In 2024, the "Implementation Plan for State-owned Assets and Enterprises' Supportive Assistance for the Revitalization and Development of Underdeveloped Counties" was issued, emphasizing greater financial empowerment and supporting state-owned enterprises in jointly establishing revitalization industry development funds with underdeveloped counties through market-oriented approaches. In May of the same year, Sichuan's first special supportive assistance fund—the Ganluo Industrial Revitalization Investment Fund—was established in Ganluo County, Liangshan Prefecture, with a planned scale of 200 million yuan, targeting investment in projects such as the integrated development of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries within the county. Subsequently, various special funds were successively established in underdeveloped counties, further broadening the pathways for aggregating high-quality resources.
On the other hand, focusing on "talent"—assistance forces are being expanded. In 2025, the "Seven Measures for Continuously Deepening State-owned Enterprises' Supportive Assistance" were issued, proposing that, based on the original paired assistance relationships, one additional provincial-level or municipal-level key backbone state-owned enterprise be assigned to each of 12 key counties. Additionally, several state-owned enterprises with high resource compatibility and strong industrial development synergy with the recipient counties would be added to form a "matrix-style" assistance team, creating a joint assistance entity of SOEs. Sichuan Development (Holdings) Co., Ltd. assisted Yuexi County in Liangshan Prefecture in building a baijiu production line integrating packaging material storage, finished product warehousing, and full-process bottling. Among these efforts, Sichuan Development (Holdings) Co., Ltd. has newly assumed assistance responsibilities for Yuexi County, Liangshan Prefecture. Within six months, it helped establish a baijiu production line integrating packaging material storage, finished product warehousing, and full-process bottling, boosting the upgrading and enhancement of the local baijiu industry.
The support of this path: focusing on industry as the main direction to empower with "blood-making" capability
Industrial assistance remains the primary focus of Sichuan's state-owned assets and enterprises. They are increasing market-oriented assistance efforts in industrial projects, with each assisting state-owned enterprise required to invest no less than 10 million yuan annually in industrial projects. The objective is clear: to invest in industrial assistance through market-oriented means while clarifying the responsibility of recipient counties to "provide projects." Through this two-way effort between enterprises and local governments to cultivate core pillar industries, assistance becomes more sustainable, and the foundation for development becomes more solid.
The Suorong Photovoltaic Power Station was connected to the grid and began generating electricity at the end of last year, with an average annual generation of approximately 1.98 billion kilowatt-hours after full-capacity operation. Chasing the sun and embracing green development, the clean energy sector is shining brightly—in Litang County, Ganzi Prefecture, the Suorong Photovoltaic Power Station constructed by Yalong River Basin Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. began operations at the end of last year. Once at full capacity, it will generate approximately 1.98 billion kilowatt-hours annually and save about 600,000 tons of standard coal per year. China Huadian Corporation Ltd. Sichuan Branch has built clean energy installed capacity projects in recipient counties, innovatively implementing "photovoltaic+" models that generated 2.2 million yuan in additional revenue for the collective economies of project-area villages. China Huadian Corporation Ltd. Sichuan Branch has completed (including under-construction) 1.6 million kilowatts of clean energy installed capacity in recipient counties, where yaks graze beneath the photovoltaic panels.
Seeking gold from the land, significant changes have taken place in agriculture and animal husbandry—in Zoigê County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Provincial State-owned Assets Investment Management Co., Ltd. has assisted in planting 19,300 mu of high-quality pasture. To date, 10,400 tons of dry hay have been harvested and 3,796 yaks have been sold. China Guoneng Dadu River Basin Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. has adopted a "leader + farmer" cluster development model, mobilizing over 180 households in recipient counties to participate in black sheep and beef cattle breeding, generating annual revenue exceeding 4 million yuan.
Aggregating chains to form clusters, industrial development has become more comprehensive—in Puge County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Energy Development Group has helped establish the Daliangshan Plateau Ecological Mugwort Industry Park, equipped with 15 production lines. Mugwort cultivation covers over 56,000 mu, driving more than 4,000 farmer households to increase their annual income by an average of 12,000 yuan each, forming a complete industrial chain for mugwort development. Chengdu Industrial Investment Group Co., Ltd. has built the province's first "enclave park" for supportive assistance—the Jinshi Industrial Park—attracting more than 40 enterprises in electronic information, clean energy, and other sectors. In its first year, it contributed approximately 107 million yuan to GDP, accounting for 30.9% of Shiqu County's 2025 GDP growth. Sichuan Energy Development Group has built the Daliangshan Plateau Ecological Mugwort Industry Park base in Puge County, driving local people's income growth.
The extension of this path: dedicated to teaching skills and igniting endogenous momentum
Along this journey of shared revitalization, what else have state-owned assets and enterprises left behind? They have left a talent pool that cannot be taken away. In Yilong County, Nanchong City, China Telecom Corporation Limited Sichuan Branch, relying on the Zhang Side Cadre Academy, has cultivated 800 local e-commerce professionals and established 8 township (village) e-commerce live-streaming bases, promoting coordinated development across the entire e-commerce industry chain. Chengdu Communications Investment Group Co., Ltd. has trained drone pilots for Xinlong County in Ganzi Prefecture, supporting the development of the local low-altitude economy.
Transferable experience and technology have also been passed down. State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company, together with Xide County in Liangshan Prefecture, has co-established a vocational skills training school, conducting 25 training sessions and training 839 people to date. All 37 trainees from the first cohort passed their assessments and achieved "immediate employment upon graduation." Shudao Investment Group Co., Ltd. has opened transportation skills training classes, implemented work-relief programs (local employment) to help people along key project routes find local jobs, and carried out over 200 public welfare activities including paired assistance and technical training, with cumulative investment exceeding 5 million yuan.
Sustainable operating mechanisms have also been established. The "39 Assistance" brand jointly developed by assisting state-owned enterprises is taking shape, aiming to open sales channels for agricultural specialty products and enhance the influence and added value of products from recipient counties. Practical implementation is already underway—China National Petroleum Corporation Limited Sichuan Sales Branch has assisted recipient counties in building regional public brands. To date, 39 products have been commercialized, with cumulative sales assistance reaching 30.943 million yuan.
At its core, the goal is to continuously ignite the endogenous momentum of underdeveloped counties, achieving accelerated catch-up and leapfrog development. The data paints a clear picture: as of the end of August this year, assisting enterprises have registered 124 companies in recipient counties, injected nearly 80 billion yuan in industrial investment, driven 1.278 billion yuan in local agricultural specialty product consumption, and allocated 958 million yuan in public welfare assistance funds.
The road is long, yet progress comes with each step; the task is difficult, yet success is achievable through perseverance. Looking ahead, the province's state-owned assets and enterprises will continue to shoulder the responsibility of supportive assistance, surging forward with unstoppable momentum.