At a press conference held on August 26th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology outlined the primary objectives and strategic measures for accelerating the new industrialization process during the country's 15th Five-Year Plan period. The ministry has pinpointed the next half-decade as a crucial window for laying a solid groundwork and launching a comprehensive push toward basically realizing socialist modernization. The roadmap for the future of Chinese manufacturing is now clear, with six major focal points set to guide the efforts.
Optimizing the industrial structure to cultivate new pillar sectors
Efforts will be coordinated to upgrade traditional industries, nurture emerging sectors, and make forward-looking plans for future industries. The focus will be on accelerating the growth of new pillar industries, including integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, the low-altitude economy, new energy storage, and intelligent robotics. The target is to establish around 100 demonstration parks and 1,000 demonstration enterprises by 2035. In parallel, future industries like quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and 6G are expected to evolve into new drivers of economic growth.
Boosting industrial innovation to generate new productive forces
A significant push will be made to enhance original innovation and tackle key core technologies. The strategy involves better utilizing platforms such as national manufacturing innovation centers and pilot testing bases, steering innovation resources toward enterprises, and refining an enterprise-led innovation ecosystem to improve the overall efficiency of the manufacturing innovation system. Adopting an approach where industry defines the challenges and technology provides the solutions, the goal is to accelerate the transition of original technologies from the lab to pilot testing and eventually to large-scale commercial application.
Elevating advanced manufacturing capabilities through smart and green initiatives
The plan calls for accelerating the development of a new generation of intelligent manufacturing, promoting the digital, intelligent, and networked transformation of the sector. It also emphasizes driving the green and low-carbon transition of industry and steadily advancing towards carbon peak in the industrial domain. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the aim is to cultivate and build 500 zero-carbon factories. Furthermore, efforts will be made to foster deep integration between advanced manufacturing and modern services, nurturing new business models such as platform-based design and personalized customization.
Cultivating high-quality enterprises and upholding the "golden brand" of specialization
The strategy involves perfecting the system for nurturing high-quality enterprises, with a focus on growing specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that produce novel and unique products. The goal is to create more "little giant" firms and manufacturing champions in single-market segments. A unified national service network for SMEs will be established and utilized, alongside special actions to reduce corporate burdens and launch more innovative services to enhance the sense of gain for businesses.
Driving high-quality development of the information and communication industry, with 6G as a top priority
Planning and construction of a new generation of communication and computing power networks will be accelerated, and the large-scale adoption of 5G and the industrial internet in key sectors will be promoted. 6G is identified as a top priority for the coming years. The focus will be on overcoming core 6G technologies, conducting continuous technical trials and standard development, fostering industrial maturity and ecosystem building, and making preparations for the commercial use of 6G.
Improving industrial governance to comprehensively address "involution-style" competition
The legal and regulatory framework will be strengthened, with legislative efforts targeting key areas such as telecommunications and road vehicles. The capacity monitoring and early warning mechanism will be improved, combining planning guidance, capacity regulation, price governance, and industry self-discipline. A comprehensive campaign will be launched to address "involution-style" competition and create a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment.
Three key sectors warrant special attention
New energy vehicles: from "Made in China" to a "Chinese calling card"
In recent years, the global influence of China's new energy vehicle (NEV) industry has grown significantly, with products exported to over 100 countries and regions. A number of competitive leading enterprises have emerged, making NEVs a "brilliant calling card" of Chinese manufacturing. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the plan is to support key companies in intensifying technological research, continuously improving the low-temperature adaptability and durability of power batteries, and enhancing the safety and reliability of autonomous driving. Pilot programs for the market access and road trials of intelligent connected vehicles, as well as "vehicle-road-cloud integration" pilots, will be actively and prudently advanced. The aim is to provide consumers with greener and smarter intelligent connected NEVs while upholding product quality standards. Measures will also include trade-in schemes for cars, NEV promotions in rural areas, and pilot projects to fill gaps in county-level charging and swapping infrastructure, with the goal of achieving charging stations in all counties and charging piles in all townships. Additionally, the management system for vehicle modification will be established, and NEV insurance policies will be optimized to lower repair costs, addressing consumer concerns and making them more willing to purchase and use these vehicles with confidence. Reforms will be pushed to manage vehicle production qualifications at the group level and optimize industrial layout. The review of product innovation design and testing verification will be strengthened, with a strict ban on bringing products to market without adequate testing. Supervision and inspection of production consistency will be intensified to protect consumer rights and standardize the competitive order. Efforts will also be made to utilize bilateral and multilateral international exchange mechanisms, enhance coordination in setting international standards and regulations, and improve supporting frameworks for cross-border logistics and investment financing to steadily advance international trade and cooperation, contributing further to the global automotive industry's transformation.
Artificial intelligence: from "chatting" to "working"
China's AI industry has shown vibrant dynamism and remarkable achievements, injecting strong "intelligent power" into economic growth. In the coming period, the approach will be application-driven to spur AI technological innovation and industrial growth, while collaboratively deepening ecosystem building, security governance, and open cooperation. The goal is to accelerate "AI + manufacturing" to achieve new speed, heights, and results. On the supply side, support will be given to R&D in key technologies like high-end training chips and multimodal algorithms, as well as tackling frontier technologies such as brain-inspired intelligence and world models. The iteration of intelligent terminals like humanoid robots and brain-computer interfaces will be promoted, and products such as intelligent mining machinery, agricultural machinery, and smart medical devices will be developed to meet diverse industry needs. On the application front, high-value scenarios will be identified across different industries, exploring a new model of scenario cultivation that maps each industry and case. Smart and green manufacturing will be promoted in tandem, bringing AI technology into workshops and production lines, closely integrating with industrial operations, energy and carbon emission management, and resource recycling. For SMEs' green transformation needs, lightweight, low-cost, and user-friendly intelligent agents for green manufacturing will be developed. For the ecosystem, high-level AI open-source communities will serve as platforms to create quality open-source projects in the "AI + manufacturing" space. AI funds will be leveraged to channel financial resources and increase investment. In terms of security, monitoring, information sharing, and notification of AI safety risks will be conducted, and a database of AI product security vulnerabilities will be established and utilized. Continuous technological efforts will target deep synthesis detection, model algorithm security protection, and value alignment to ensure AI is genuinely used by and controlled for the benefit of people.
Electronic information manufacturing: maintaining global leadership for 13 consecutive years
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the revenue of China's electronic information manufacturing industry ranked first among 41 industrial sectors for 13 straight years. Production of key consumer electronics like mobile phones and computers leads the world in volume, with display panel shipment area accounting for over 75% globally. In the upcoming period, the focus will be on achieving a comprehensive upgrade of the sector. Efforts will target bottlenecks and pain points, continuing to drive technological breakthroughs in integrated circuits, servers, and new displays. With complete machines as the driving force, the optimization and adaptation of upstream materials and components will be promoted, guiding joint R&D and equipment verification across the supply chain. Breakthroughs in key frontier technologies will be coordinated to accelerate industrial self-reliance. The commercialization of space computing, virtual reality, Micro LED, silicon-based OLED, and new batteries will be sped up, pushing electronic information products toward intelligent, green, and integrated transformation to enhance the supply of high-end electronic goods that satisfy consumer demands. Collaboration with relevant departments will promote the application of consumer electronics in scenarios like education and training, home care for the elderly, and sports and health. Efforts will continue to collect cases of audio-visual systems and smart sports, speeding up the integration of consumer electronics with vertical sectors and innovating diversified consumption scenarios. The decisive role of the market in resource allocation will be fully leveraged to foster a sound industrial ecosystem. Existing support policies will be coordinated and implemented, and intellectual property protection and application in fields like integrated circuits and new displays will be strengthened.
As the 15th Five-Year Plan period unfolds, Chinese manufacturing will continue its upward trajectory, laying a more solid foundation for Chinese modernization. The next five years hold great promise and are well worth anticipating.
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