Production services are a crucial force driving economic growth and industrial upgrading. It is understood that relevant government departments and local authorities are collaborating to address weaknesses across the entire chain of the production services sector. Efforts are being made to extend these services towards greater specialization and higher value-added activities, providing strong support for accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system.
In recent years, China's production services sector has shown robust development momentum with its scale continuously expanding. However, some developmental gaps remain. Relevant studies indicate that production services currently account for less than 13% of the total input in China's unit manufacturing products, whereas the proportion in developed economies is generally around 20%. This suggests there is still significant room for production services to empower the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing sector.
The State Council recently issued guidelines on promoting the expansion and quality improvement of the service sector. These guidelines deploy measures to strengthen weak links across the entire production services chain. They clarify tasks such as "enhancing the supportive role of scientific and technological services," "accelerating innovation and development in software and information services," and "strengthening and improving business services." A series of initiatives will guide production services towards more specialized, customized, and refined development.
"In the next step, we will focus on planning and layout across 17 key segments within six major fields: scientific and technological services, modern logistics, information and software services, supply chain finance, energy conservation and environmental protection, and business services," stated Shen Zhulin, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. The emphasis will be on promoting the development of design and R&D segments towards greater specialization and higher-end positioning, thereby driving production services to extend towards both the R&D and market ends.
Key elements for the high-quality development of production services include capital, talent, and data. The aforementioned guidelines propose optimizing the implementation of loan interest subsidy policies for service sector business entities. This includes providing phased interest subsidies on loans for eligible small, medium, and micro-sized private enterprises in the production services sector, and increasing financial support for new consumption scenarios. The guidelines also call for optimizing the layout of academic disciplines related to the service sector, and supporting qualified localities in building city-level industry-education consortiums and sector-specific industry-education integration communities.
Production services run through the entire chain of production activities and are one of the supports for extending and adding value to industrial chains. Against the backdrop of accelerating digital and intelligent transformation, technological empowerment is increasingly driving production services towards higher value-added segments.
Ke Jixin, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, stated that efforts will be made to extend production services towards greater specialization and higher value-added activities, and to accelerate innovation and development in the software and information technology service sectors. Regarding empowering information services with artificial intelligence, special actions for "AI + Software" will be carried out, further strengthening the construction of an open-source ecosystem, improving the service system for the digital and intelligent transformation of manufacturing, deepening the implementation of the industrial internet innovation and development project, and implementing foundational actions for industrial data.
Brand is a company's market identifier and an important tool for China's production services sector to enhance its global competitiveness. Li Chunfang, Deputy Director of the Industrial Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, stated that support will be provided for leading enterprises to build new brand experience scenarios, promote the integrated development of brands with resources such as culture and tourism, increase professional services like brand operation and communication, cultivate more "China Service" brands, and empower the high-quality development of industrial chains, sectors, and regions.
Zhejiang aims to cultivate over 20 specialized and sophisticated "little giant" human resources service institutions this year. Jiangsu has proposed implementing a peak-building project for intellectual property in key industries and increasing efforts to cultivate high-value patents. Sichuan has clarified plans to build smart logistics parks and digital warehouses, and pilot new business models such as platooning of autonomous trucks and unmanned delivery. Yunnan has launched pilot projects for the integrated development of the human resources service industry and manufacturing... Various regions are leveraging their local conditions and taking targeted measures to propel production services "towards the high end."
By deepening specialization and advancing towards higher value, systematically improving the supply quality and output efficiency of production services will help build a more resilient and competitive modern industrial system, continuously solidifying the foundation for China's high-quality economic development.
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