Nanfang Daily, Nanfang Plus:

Last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed during an inspection tour in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province that resources for sci-tech innovation should be integrated to guide the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries so as to form new productive forces at a faster pace. My question is, what progress was made in 2023 by central SOEs in developing strategic emerging industries and future industries? What major steps will be taken? Thank you.

Yuan Ye:

The question you raised is very important. As I just said, central SOEs will take developing new productive forces as a major task. Now, let's invite Mr. Zhuang to elaborate on this matter.

Zhuang Shuxin:

Thank you for your questions. At present, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is reshaping the global economic structure and industrial landscape, giving birth to an increasing number of new industries and new business forms and models. Strategic emerging industries and future industries, especially, have become new arenas for businesses from different countries to compete, as well as the primary platform for developing new productive forces.

Since last year, the SASAC and all central SOEs have carefully studied and implemented the principles from General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on accelerating the growth of new productive forces and propelling the advancement of new industrialization. We have regarded developing strategic emerging industries and future industries as a task that possesses big-picture importance and will serve as locomotives. We have made positive progress in this regard.

First, we have identified new directions for development. Two campaigns were launched for central SOEs to boost strategic emerging industries, such as next-generation mobile communications, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and new materials, and to foster future industries, such as future information. By doing so, we have identified the priority and direction of development and laid out detailed targets and pathways.

Second, we have effectively ignited new growth engines for enterprises. A full range of policies were made in resource investment, core business fostering, and personnel training, providing enterprises with maximum and effective support. The management of their primary responsibilities and core business was optimized, and a dynamic mechanism for adjusting their core business was established and improved. We encouraged enterprises to speed up their transformation and upgrading and look for new growth drivers. We also fostered emerging industries that are of long-term and strategic importance. Enterprises acted quickly to improve their systems and mechanisms to adapt to new industries and new arenas and implement supporting policies. Enterprises have been encouraged to pursue innovation and exploration and take a trial-and-error approach, thus invigorating businesses and increasing efficiency. 

Third, we have made breakthroughs in the layout of industries. Last year, the investment from central SOEs in strategic emerging industries totaled 2.18 trillion yuan, marking an increase of 32.1% year on year. Numerous pivotal projects were initiated in sectors like photovoltaic-based hydrogen production, carbon fiber manufacturing, and automotive chips. New businesses were established across a number of industries, such as laser manufacturing, quantum communications, and satellite internet. We also pursued restructuring and integration efforts in sectors including electronic technology, new energy, environmental conservation, and intelligent connected vehicles. New industries and new business forms are becoming major growth areas of enterprises.

Next, we will improve work mechanisms and optimize supporting policies. Mobilizing the resources of the whole system, we will work ceaselessly and make every effort to develop strategic emerging industries and future industries. Focusing on the two campaigns launched by central SOEs in this regard, we will move faster to achieve pivotal progress in increasing the revenue of strategic emerging industries, as well as the contribution of their value-added to GDP, thus achieving strategy transition in the layout and structure of central SOEs. To be specific, we plan to initiate a number of major projects, select 100 representative projects of strategic emerging industries, foster clusters of strategic emerging industries, launch special actions such as AI+, and act quickly to make landmark advances in key areas such as biotechnology, new materials, and new energy vehicles (NEVs). We will also move faster to make technological breakthroughs in industrial development and cultivate start-up enterprises, leading enterprises, and unicorn enterprises so as to deliver signature products in sectors such as brain-like intelligence, quantum information, deep earth and sea exploration, and laser manufacturing. We will establish a new systematic business environment, create innovative cooperation models among central SOEs, local enterprises, and enterprises of all sizes and forms of ownership, and strengthen coordination across different businesses and sectors so as to jointly build a business environment featuring efficient coordination and sound growth. The funds given to strategic emerging industries will deliver results at a faster pace. We will make solid efforts to promote industrial innovation with technological innovation and ensure central SOEs play a leading role in forming new productive forces and strengthening new growth drivers. Thank you.