The Ningbo delegation to the fifth session of the 13th Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress holds a panel session in the provincial capital of Hangzhou on Jan 26. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Qiu Dongyao, mayor of Ningbo, called for more efforts to make the city a pivotal player in serving the nation's "dual circulation" development pattern.

The "dual circulation" pattern refers to a development model in which the domestic market is the mainstay and the domestic and international markets complement each other.

Qiu made the remarks during a Jan 26, during the fifth session of the 13th Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress which commenced in the provincial capital of Hangzhou on the same day.

To achieve the goal, the mayor stressed the need to enhance innovation capability, achieve breakthroughs in key technologies and transform the city into an innovation hub for new materials, industrial internet and key core components.

He noted that more efforts are also required for the city to develop a modern economic system and become a spearhead in the manufacturing sector.

He urged the city to speed up its integration into the domestic market in a holistic manner and called for more support to help enterprises expand in domestic market and expand investment.

In addition, he called on the city to further open up so that it can become a trade hub linking the domestic and international markets.

The mayor also emphasized the necessity to create a world-class business environment by deepening reform of market-based allocation of production factors and facilitating the government's digital transformation.

At the meeting, Peng Jiaxue, Party chief of Ningbo, called for more efforts to secure a good start in the city's campaign to build itself into a pioneer in achieving socialist modernization.