December 18, 1978, a seemingly ordinary day in the long river of 5000 years of Chinese history. Today, 40 years ago, it is so extraordinary for the Chinese people who have gone through the vicissitudes of time. Today, 40 years ago, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee made a historic decision to implement reform and opening up, opening up the era of China's reform and opening up. A conference of great turning significance has changed the process of Chinese history, a key choice to determine the fate of contemporary China, and reshaped the face of the world pattern. The hardworking and brave Chinese people have embarked on a magnificent journey, full of hardships and tears, but also filled with the wisdom and creativity of the people. This year has become an important starting point for China's great rejuvenation. This day is worth remembering and commemorating forever.
40 years ago, China's economic development was at a low point, and the paper industry with important strategic position hesitated. Turning to the historical data, the data of that year makes us feel thousands of feelings today. In 1978, the national pulp output was 3.455 million tons, the paper output was only 4.387 million tons, and the per capita consumption of paper and paperboard was 5.08 kg. Affected by historical reasons, the production and construction of the paper industry stagnated at that time, and many key paper projects were shut down. In 1978, the investment in fixed assets in the paper industry was only 212 million, and the new production capacity was only 35000 tons.
The farsighted decision of reform and opening up has become a great turning point of far-reaching significance since the founding of new China, and has brought potential development opportunities to the paper industry with all kinds of waste waiting for prosperity. Since then, China's paper industry has begun to move towards a new development journey. In 1978, the paper industry bureau of the Ministry of light industry was re established, the first national paper industry standardization conference was held, the first set of large-scale test equipment for biochemical treatment of wastewater from domestic paper mills passed the appraisal, and the first jet alkali recovery furnace designed, manufactured and installed by China was completed and put into operation... Chinese paper makers full of struggle passion have continued to create miracles that amaze the world since then.
Today's paper industry is an industry with full market competition, but more than 30 years ago, it was a period dominated by state-owned enterprises. Paper enterprises and entrepreneurs pioneered the times with fearless spirit and bravely stood at the forefront of the market economy. In 1983, Jiamusi paper mill became the first large-scale paper enterprise to realize the contract management responsibility system. In 1988, Ma Shengli, the first person to contract state-owned enterprises, successfully crossed more than 10 provinces and cities, absorbed more than 100 loss making enterprises and established the "China Ma Shengli Paper Group". Although he finally failed due to rapid expansion, Ma Shengli also became a landmark figure of reform and opening up because of his brave exploration.
The development of history is always full of twists and turns. At the critical juncture of development, Deng Xiaoping issued a far-reaching southern speech in early 1992, which strengthened the road of China's reform and opening up. Ideological emancipation brought warm wind to China's reform, opened the door to the market economy, and also brought economic spring with the power of spring breeze and rain. China's Chinese mainland China's private paper enterprises are beginning to see the wind. International paper enterprises are gradually entering China. In 1992, Indonesia's Sinar Mas Group launched a boom in the mainland of China. Most of the top ten of the world's paper enterprises have been established in China and become an important part of China's paper industry.
Entering the new century, China's market is increasingly open, the economy is full of vitality, and a round of rapid growth has begun. In particular, marked by its formal accession to the WTO on December 11, 2001, China has created a "golden decade" at the speed of opening and hanging. China's paper industry has also entered a period of rapid development since 2000. The growth rate of paper production from 2000 to 2009 exceeded 10% in most years and 20% in some years. Since modern times, China's paper industry has been struggling to catch up, but we will not lag behind for too long. Since 2001, China's paper production has surpassed that of Japan and the United States for the first time in 2009. So far, China has become the world's largest paper producer and consumer for nine consecutive years. We are proud of such achievements.
The global economic crisis in 2008 did not stop the sustained growth of China's economy. The paper industry was struggling in the trough. Chinese paper entrepreneurs with fighting and exploratory spirit solved many difficulties on the way forward with composure and rationality. The free competition mechanism has diversified the enterprise structure of China's paper industry. The number of private enterprises in the paper industry is increasing. At present, the proportion has risen to 80.5%, and the proportion of foreign-funded and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan funded enterprises has risen to 17.5%. The remaining dozens of state-owned enterprises faithfully fulfill their responsibilities and responsibilities. In the main business income, private paper enterprises account for half of the country, and foreign-funded and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan funded enterprises enjoy the fruits of reform and opening up. In the construction of sustainable development of the paper industry, private enterprises have always been the bravest leaders, and have become the absolute main force in the investment of new paper projects, with a contribution rate of 78%. The market economy has tempered the viability of China's paper industry, and a number of excellent paper entrepreneurs have emerged in the tide. Li Hongxin, Li Jianhua, Zhang Yin, Xu Lianjie, Li Chaowang... These thunderous names highlight the social influence and status of the leaders of China's paper enterprises.
In 2018, we usher in this memorable year. At the important time node of the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, we use a set of comparative data to pay tribute to the reform and opening up, the self-improvement of Chinese papermakers and all those who have made contributions to China's papermaking industry. Over the past 40 years of reform and opening up, China's paper production today is 25 times that of 40 years ago, the pulp production is 23 times, the export of paper and paperboard is 52 times, the import is 13 times, and the per capita consumption of paper and paperboard is 13 times. The asset scale of the paper industry exceeds trillion, which is 251 times. China's paper production has exceeded 100 million tons for eight consecutive years, accounting for more than a quarter of the global production.
Looking back on the past, we can't help feeling every bit of the past. The Chinese invented papermaking more than 1900 years ago and made outstanding contributions to the brilliance of world civilization. Today, with the joint unremitting efforts of all papermakers, China stands at the peak of the world's paper industry. China's paper industry once again leads the world's paper industry with great achievements. In view of the past and the future, China's paper industry, which has embarked on the journey of the new era, will welcome the win-win situation of the world's pulp and paper industry chain with an open and shared mind, and continue to drive the sustainable development of the global paper industry with the surging power of growth and progress. The new blueprint has been drawn. With high respect for the 40 years of reform and opening up, let us continue to write China's grand narrative with great efforts, forge ahead with innovative development in the spirit of ingenuity, and create new brilliance for China's paper industry.