On the morning of May 15th, a special press conference titled "Starting Off the '15th Five-Year Plan'" was held in Hefei, Anhui Province. Governor Wang Qingxian introduced the overall vision and key priorities for Anhui's economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period (2026-2030) and responded to questions from journalists. The conference was attended by Wang Qingxian, Wang Dongwei (Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Executive Vice Governor), Chen Jun (Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission), Zhao Ming (Director of the Provincial Department of Science and Technology), and Feng Kejin (Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology). Qian Sanxiong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Publicity Department, presided over the event. Below is a summary of the Q&A session.
**Q: Innovation in science and technology is Anhui's most distinctive feature. How will Anhui further enhance this strength during the "15th Five-Year Plan"?**
Wang Qingxian: There are high expectations for Anhui's scientific and technological innovation, emphasizing the need to prioritize science and technology, make proactive moves in innovation, and establish a significant hub for scientific and technological innovation. This is a major mission for Anhui and the foremost task for its development during the "15th Five-Year Plan." Anhui's confidence in driving innovation stems from the support of national strategic scientific and technological capabilities. As part of the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Science and Technology Innovation Center, Anhui hosts several national-level platforms, including national laboratories and a comprehensive national science center. During the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will strengthen the supporting role of these strategic scientific and technological forces, implement key directives on basic research, and vigorously advance the construction of major innovation platforms, scientific projects, and infrastructure. Efforts will focus on fostering innovation sources, leading high-end industries, and attracting top talent to enhance Anhui's influence in the global innovation landscape.
Scientific and technological innovation is an area that requires continuous reform. To address the disconnect between science and industry, Anhui's approach involves building platforms and mechanisms to integrate basic research, application development, and commercialization. Initiatives like the "Rixin: Jianghuai Science and Technology Innovation Salon," launched by the provincial government, serve as platforms for communication and collaboration among scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors. Other platforms, such as the "Government, Industry, Academia, Research, Finance, Application, and Service" platform for efficient coordination, the Science and Industry Integration Innovation Association, and the Anhui Advanced Research Institute, aim to transform innovation elements from linear to networked configurations, enabling efficient allocation of resources.
Enterprises are the most dynamic innovators. We fully support enterprise innovation, with over 80% of provincial scientific and technological projects, funding, and R&D expenditures, and over 90% of provincial industrial innovation research institutes, being undertaken by enterprises. Moving forward, greater efforts will be made to allocate innovation resources such as funding, projects, talent, and data to enterprises.
**Q: With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) gaining attention, how is Anhui planning to cultivate its AI industry?**
Zhao Ming: Early this year, Anhui introduced the "AI + Everything" application action plan, aiming to achieve breakthroughs across the AI value chain and widespread adoption in various scenarios. The goal is to cultivate a new form of intelligent economy, with over 10,000 applications deployed by the end of the "15th Five-Year Plan," a penetration rate exceeding 90% for new-generation smart devices and agents, and establishing a new position for AI development characterized by technological advancement, industrial depth, application breadth, and a vibrant ecosystem.
In terms of technological breakthroughs, efforts will focus on advancing core technologies in AI, particularly in frontier areas, and fostering synergy between AI and other leading fields like quantum information and fusion energy. Initiatives include establishing a scientific intelligent materials creation center, upgrading the "Lingjing Zaowu" intelligent research tool, and hosting AI creation competitions to spur more "from 0 to N" innovations.
For industrial innovation, the focus is on transitioning AI from "tool empowerment" to deep industrial application and systematic development. This involves advancing industrial highland construction, exploring new models like computing-power collaboration and computing power enclaves, implementing high-level general and vertical large model cultivation projects, and nurturing more intelligent native enterprises.
In application scenarios, AI will be accelerated across industries. Ecosystem development will leverage the integrated "Government, Industry, Academia, Research, Finance, Application, and Service" model, balancing development and security.
**Q: Anhui enjoys significant geographical advantages and multiple overlapping national development strategies. How will Anhui leverage these advantages during the "15th Five-Year Plan" to promote regional coordinated development?**
Wang Dongwei: During the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will utilize this important advantage to continuously enhance overall development capabilities. First, efforts will be intensified in scientific and technological innovation collaboration. The Yangtze River Delta boasts abundant innovation resources, giving it a unique edge in global city cluster competition. The expansion of the Shanghai International Science and Technology Innovation Center to the Yangtze River Delta presents an extraordinary opportunity for Anhui. We will leverage this to strengthen the synergy of national strategic scientific and technological forces, collaborate on basic research in areas like quantum information, fusion energy, and deep space exploration, support joint research by Yangtze River Delta innovation consortia, and accelerate the improvement of regional scientific and technological innovation capabilities.
Second, greater efforts will be made in industrial collaboration. We will better integrate Anhui's industrial chains into the Yangtze River Delta, strengthen coordination in supply chain collaboration and scenario sharing, achieve mutual empowerment and coordinated development, and work with Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang to expand and strengthen advantageous industries such as integrated circuits, new energy vehicles, and AI. Cooperation with other regional industrial innovation hubs like the middle reaches of the Yangtze River urban agglomeration and the Central Plains urban agglomeration will also be deepened, including the joint development of cross-border collaborative zones such as Su-Zhe-Wan and Wan-Yu.
Third, infrastructure connectivity will be further enhanced. Anhui's strategic location along the Yangtze River and its role as a bridge between east and west will be leveraged, with a focus on networking, filling gaps, and strengthening chains to transform geographical advantages into development advantages. Fourth, efforts will be concentrated on revitalizing northern Anhui.
**Q: In recent years, Anhui's emerging industries have shown strong momentum. What are the new ideas and approaches for building a modern industrial system during the "15th Five-Year Plan"?**
Wang Qingxian: For industrial development during the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will follow the "1188" overall layout, implementing initiatives to rejuvenate traditional industries, develop emerging industry clusters, cultivate future industries, and expand and upgrade the service sector. The goal is to build a modern industrial system that reflects Anhui's characteristics and is future-oriented.
First, we will develop new quality productive forces based on local conditions, planning and advancing industrial development with a late start but high standards. New quality productive forces are characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, requiring foresight and a proactive stance in emerging industry sectors. In recent years, we have nurtured leading enterprises like Chery, ChangXin Memory Technologies, and iFLYTEK, driving the growth of emerging industry clusters worth hundreds of billions, half a trillion, and even over a trillion yuan. This approach will be reinforced during the "15th Five-Year Plan," focusing on intelligent, green, and integrated development, guiding cities and counties to leverage their comparative advantages, opening up new industrial tracks based on local conditions, and accelerating the cultivation of ecosystem-oriented chain-leading enterprises.
Second, we will better combine an effective market with a proactive government. During the "14th Five-Year Plan," we explored approaches such as establishing provincial-level industrial promotion groups to coordinate industrial development across cities and counties, forming funds for each industry, linking them with industry associations or alliances, and precisely extending, supplementing, and strengthening industrial chains. During the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will refine this promotion mechanism, particularly by coordinating industrial guidance funds with social capital to explore new approaches in early-stage, small-scale, long-term, and hard-tech investments.
Third, we will deeply integrate scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation. This involves building platforms and mechanisms to strengthen the role of enterprises as innovation subjects, ensuring seamless connection between innovation chains and industrial chains.
Fourth, we will continue to create a first-class business environment. We will benchmark against top-tier rules and standards, deepen reforms like "efficiently handling matters," streamline government service processes, and foster a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment to support the innovation and creativity of every entrepreneur.
**Q: What are the key considerations and plans for building internationally competitive advanced manufacturing clusters during the "15th Five-Year Plan"?**
Feng Kejin: We will adopt a comprehensive approach of strengthening clusters through chains, improving quality, and fostering ecosystems to accelerate the cultivation of provincial, national, and world-class advanced manufacturing clusters, enabling Anhui's manufacturing sector to stride onto the global stage.
We will strengthen clusters through chains. Industrial chains are the "foundation" and "backbone" of industrial clusters. We will continue to extend, supplement, and strengthen key industrial chains, optimizing existing capacity through "new-type technological transformation" and expanding new capacity through "dual recruitment and dual introduction" to build several trillion-yuan-level industrial chains.
We will improve cluster quality. This involves enhancing the quality of cluster entities by implementing a gradient cultivation project for high-quality enterprises, creating a matrix of high-quality enterprises with "strong heads, robust midsections, and active bases." It also includes improving industrial innovation by advancing industrial scientific and technological innovation and cultivating a high-quality product matrix, building a full chain from "R&D and breakthroughs—pilot testing and verification—application and promotion." Additionally, we will promote intelligent and green transformation by deepening the integration of "AI + industrial internet + manufacturing" and advancing intelligent, digital, networked, and green transformation in a unified manner.
We will foster cluster ecosystems. For clusters to grow into "towering trees," they require ample "sunshine and rain." We will focus on capital, talent, and supporting services to create a more attractive and cohesive cluster ecosystem.
**Q: Expanding and upgrading the service sector is a key focus for stabilizing the economy. What innovative measures is Anhui taking to promote high-quality development in services?**
Chen Jun: We will emphasize demand-driven development, reform攻坚, technological empowerment, and open cooperation to advance producer services toward specialization and high value-added segments, promote high-quality, diverse, and convenient consumer services, and strive to open a new chapter in high-quality service sector development.
For producer services, during the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will focus on "manufacturing + services," building new business formats and models that cross boundaries and integrate sectors. This includes forging competitive advantages in scientific and technological services, reducing costs and increasing efficiency in modern logistics, enhancing the professional capabilities of modern finance, strengthening software and information services, expanding and upgrading business services, and diversifying energy-saving and environmental protection sectors to improve the overall service capacity of industrial chains.
For consumer services, during the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will accurately grasp the new expectations of the people for a better life and the new characteristics of livelihood work under the current circumstances. Efforts will focus on areas such as cultural tourism, elderly and child care, and medical and health services, aiming to increase high-quality supply, improve adaptability, and innovate service models. For example, through substantial policy support, we will attract and nurture high-standard performances, competitions, and exhibitions, encouraging more people to visit Anhui for a show, a meal, or a story, experiencing the "beauty of Anhui" and enjoying a "wonderful life in Anhui."
**Q: Anhui has stated that livelihood work will be given more prominence during the "15th Five-Year Plan." What concrete policies and measures are planned?**
Wang Dongwei: Livelihood work covers a wide range of areas. Here, we highlight four key aspects. First, policies to increase the income of urban and rural residents will be sustained and strengthened. Targeted measures will be implemented for different urban and rural areas, regions, and groups, including steady employment and income promotion actions, entrepreneurship and income enhancement projects, initiatives to increase residents' asset value, fostering rural industries for prosperity, adjusting income distribution, and making every effort to raise residents' wage, business, property, and transfer incomes.
Second, greater efforts and more compassionate approaches will be taken to ensure the livelihoods of disadvantaged groups. Based on the principles of precise classification and step-by-step implementation, a series of policies and measures will be researched and formulated to support vulnerable populations.
Third, multiple measures will be taken to promote high-quality full employment, with a focus on linking industry, entrepreneurship, and employment. We will prioritize employment, strengthen the linkage between industry, entrepreneurship, and employment, implement special actions such as stabilizing and expanding employment, "employment at the doorstep," and large-scale vocational skills training under the "Skills Illuminate the Future" program to stabilize and expand employment for key groups.
Fourth, efforts to improve the living environment will be intensified, focusing on quality and efficiency. We will deepen ecological environment governance in key areas, striving to improve people's living environments. Key actions include continuous air quality improvement, promoting "zero-waste city" construction across the province, enhancing urban sewage collection and treatment efficiency, and addressing environmental issues "at the doorstep."
**Q: The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is critical for China to achieve its carbon peak goal. What new measures will Anhui introduce to further shape new advantages in green development?**
Chen Jun: We will focus on the dual control of carbon emissions, accelerating the creation of a comprehensive green transformation zone for economic and social development. Efforts will center on three systems: First, building a green, low-carbon, and circular economic system. During the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will guide the transformation of development methods with the "dual carbon" goals, strengthen green manufacturing, develop green services, and enhance the economic "gold content" through the "green content" of industries.
Second, creating a new energy system that is clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient. We will implement projects to exceed 100 million kilowatts in wind and solar power installed capacity, orderly promote high-proportion local consumption and application of new energy through measures like green power direct connection and smart microgrids, and continuously expand the scale and improve the quality of new energy for reliable replacement.
Third, improving the policy system to promote green and low-carbon development. During the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will combine source reduction, process control, and end-of-pipe treatment. Building on the "one enterprise, one policy" energy-saving and carbon reduction diagnostics for key energy-consuming units, we will better utilize the combined approach of "fiscal + financial" tools. Focusing on key areas such as industry, construction, transportation, and public institutions, we will plan and implement special actions for energy saving and carbon reduction, deeply integrating the concept of green and low-carbon development into all aspects and processes of economic and social development, paving a new path for building a beautiful Anhui and advancing toward a greener future.
**Q: The outline of the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposes pioneering differentiated reforms and striving to be a reform pioneer. How is Anhui considering this?**
Wang Dongwei: Anhui has a valuable tradition of reform, innovation, and daring to be first. During the "15th Five-Year Plan," we will deeply implement reform攻坚 actions: First, stimulating vitality. We will focus on both influential leading technology enterprises and specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative small and medium-sized technology enterprises. We will advance strategic reorganization, professional integration, and high-quality mergers and acquisitions of state-owned enterprises, implement the "Summit Plan" for private enterprises, encourage leading chain enterprises to participate in major technological攻关 tasks, support small and medium-sized enterprises in developing "unique skills," and foster a healthy ecosystem for the collaborative and integrated development of enterprises of all sizes.
Second, increasing momentum. The key is advancing the market-oriented reform of factors of production. We will vigorously promote the comprehensive reform pilot for market-oriented allocation of factors in the Hefei metropolitan area, improve trading platforms and mechanisms for factor distribution, deepen the reform of职务科技成果赋权 under the "empowerment + transfer + agreed收益" model to enhance the efficient conversion of scientific and technological achievements into practical applications, and accelerate the implementation of reforms such as the upgraded version of comprehensive land conservation and intensive use reform and the construction of the national data要素 comprehensive pilot zone to promote the aggregation of various advanced factors of production toward new quality productive forces.
Third, improving efficiency. The focus is on enhancing the efficiency of public resource allocation and the digital and intelligent level of public services. We will establish and improve fiscal and financial coordination mechanisms, innovate fiscal investment methods, deepen reforms in scientific fiscal management, zero-based budgeting, and "agricultural insurance +," and continuously amplify the quality and effectiveness of fiscal fund usage. We will deepen the "one-network通办," "one-network统管," and "one-network协同" of government services to enhance the智慧化 and精细化 level of government governance.
Fourth, optimizing the environment. We will make every effort to help enterprises solve practical difficulties, fully support their innovation, growth,安心 development, and market expansion.
**Q: What are Anhui's plans for expanding high-level opening-up during the "15th Five-Year Plan"?**
Wang Qingxian: In recent years, we have始终牢记 the instruction to build a new highland for reform and opening-up,坚持 opening-up to promote reform and development, and indeed achieved new leaps in opening-up capabilities and levels. The province's total import and export volume has跨越 five hundred-billion-yuan thresholds over five years. Following a 17.3% growth last year, it increased by 34% in the first four months of this year, achieving a "strong start" for opening-up development in the "15th Five-Year Plan."
The accelerating pace of Anhui's opening-up is fundamentally due to its integration into the national strategy for Yangtze River Delta integration development, transitioning from an inland hinterland to a frontier of opening-up. Under the broader trend of building a new development pattern nationally, Anhui's geographical advantages as a连接 east and west and沿江通海 hub have been fully unleashed.
Next, we will deeply integrate into the Yangtze River Delta,更加坚定地 expand high-level opening-up, better leverage Anhui's枢纽 function linking the Yangtze River Delta and central-western regions, and demonstrate greater achievements in serving and integrating into the new development pattern.
Anhui's opening-up development is comprehensive, with a focus on industrial opening-up. We will accelerate the construction of a "big opening-up" coordination mechanism, improve opening-up cooperation mechanisms such as the "Anhui动 Global" partner plan, the Anhui Enterprise International Economic and Trade Cooperation Alliance, and the Anhui Enterprise Going Global comprehensive service platform, to promote Anhui's industries to加速深度 integrate into global supply and value chains.
High-level opening-up requires the support of high-energy开放 platforms. We are advancing actions to build open大 channels, platforms, and customs clearance, actively对接 international high-standard economic and trade rules, enhancing the overall energy level and协同效能 of the platform system, and making the "magnetic field effect" of open platforms更加强劲.
We will further提升 opening-up awareness,素质, and capabilities, broaden cadres' international视野, and improve enterprises'专业化水平 in adapting to and utilizing international economic and trade rules and对接 international supply and value chains.
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