Published by ChinaMNC · Longnan

Gansu Party Secretary Surveys Longnan and Gannan: Priorities for Foreign Founders Operating in Western China

A ChinaMNC briefing for foreign founders on the Gansu Provincial Party Secretary's October 17-19 inspection of Longnan and Gannan, covering e-commerce, agricultural brands, rural industry, land-use risk, and public services.

What the Inspection Covered

From October 17 to 19, Wu Xiaojun, Secretary of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Gansu Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, conducted a research visit across Longnan City and Gannan Prefecture. The visit was reported by New Gansu and Gansu Daily. For foreign founders considering a presence in western China, the trip offers a practical signal of where provincial attention and administrative effort are concentrated. It is not a regulatory announcement, but it highlights policy themes that can shape local business conditions.

The stated priorities were promoting ethnic unity and progress, strengthening grassroots social governance, cultivating and expanding distinctive industries, improving public welfare, and achieving a positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level security.

Locations Visited and What They Signal

Gannan Prefecture: Community Services and Risk Management

Wu visited Boyu Village in Muer Town, Zhuoni County; the party-mass service center of Zhouqu Road Community in Tongqin Subdistrict, Hezuo City; and a debris flow geological hazard treatment project site in Shangzhuo Gully, Zhuoni County. He spoke with staff and residents about social insurance contributions, medical reimbursement, employment and income growth, and geological hazard management, and visited elderly residents ahead of the Double Ninth Festival.

For founders, the relevant point is that local authorities are focused on public service delivery and on identifying and mitigating geological risks. Businesses locating facilities, warehouses, or processing sites in mountainous parts of Gannan should expect local attention to hazard assessment and relocation planning.

Longnan: E-Commerce and Agricultural Processing

In Wudu District, Wu visited the Longnan E-Commerce Industry Service Center and the Jishiba Pepper Modern Industrial Park, and in Hezuo City he visited Gansu Hualing Dairy Co., Ltd. Discussions covered industry development, technology research, enterprise operations, and mechanisms linking enterprises with farmers.

These visits point to two sectors that provincial officials are actively promoting in the region: e-commerce services and agricultural processing, including specialty crops and dairy.

Policy Themes Relevant to Company Operations

E-Commerce and Agricultural Value Chains

Wu called for learning from advanced regions, improving e-commerce service systems, and developing new business formats and models to upgrade the e-commerce sector. He urged e-commerce practitioners to move closer to agricultural production and participate across standardized planting, deep processing, and brand packaging. He also emphasized cultivating more "new farmers" who understand agriculture, markets, and sales.

He further stressed quality control across production, processing, and sales; building nationally recognized specialty agricultural brands; extending industrial chains and raising added value; improving warehousing, logistics, and exhibition and sales systems; and developing a national distribution hub to help quality agricultural products reach broader markets.

• Practical takeaway: Founders in agri-food, e-commerce, logistics, or branding may find local support for service systems, quality standards, and distribution infrastructure.
• Practical takeaway: Expect emphasis on farmer-linkage mechanisms and village collective economic development, which may affect supplier and partnership structures.

Ethnic Unity, Religion, and Social Governance

Wu emphasized strengthening a sense of community for the Chinese nation, promoting exchanges and integration among ethnic groups, and deepening ethnic unity education. He also called for adherence to the direction of sinicization of religion in China, managing religious affairs according to law, and carrying out regular education on national, civic, and legal awareness.

On governance, he called for party-building-led grassroots governance, closing gaps in education, medical care, and employment services, caring for disadvantaged groups, resolving disputes, and advancing proactive stability maintenance. He also stressed a people-first, life-first approach to geological hazard screening, treatment project construction, and relocation, ensuring residents can move, stay stable, find employment, and develop.

Ecology and Green Development

Wu called for prioritizing ecology and green development, strengthening environmental protection and restoration, cultivating distinctive industries that enrich residents, and accelerating high-quality development in ethnic regions.

Red Culture and Tourism

Noting the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Red Army's Long March victory, Wu visited the Hadapu Red Army Long March Memorial Hall in Tanchang County. He called for preserving red historical materials, promoting red culture, and integrating red culture with the cultural tourism industry.

How Foreign Founders Can Use This Briefing

This inspection does not create new rules for foreign-invested enterprises, and it should not be read as a list of incentives. However, it indicates where local governments in Longnan and Gannan are directing administrative attention. Founders evaluating suppliers, e-commerce operations, agricultural processing, or tourism projects in these areas can use these themes to prepare questions for local authorities and business partners.

• Ask local counterparts how e-commerce service systems and logistics infrastructure are being developed in the specific district.
• Confirm quality control and brand requirements for agricultural products before committing to sourcing.
• For sites in mountainous areas, request information on geological hazard assessment and any relocation plans.
• Understand how farmer-linkage and village collective mechanisms may shape partnership agreements.

Next Steps

Foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp or WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535 for help registering and operating a company in China.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.