Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), recently made important instructions on developing advanced manufacturing.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, China's advanced manufacturing sector has continued to expand and strengthen, with significant gains in innovation capacity, competitiveness and overall strength, and solid progress has been made toward building the country into a manufacturing powerhouse, Xi said.
On the new journey, it is essential to adhere to the guidance of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, ensure both high-quality development and greater security, pursue smart, green and integrated development, continue to expand and strengthen the advanced manufacturing sector, and make the country's industrial chains more self-supporting and risk-resilient, Xi stressed. He also urged efforts to accelerate the development of a modernized industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone, and reinforce the foundations of the real economy, thereby providing strong support for advancing Chinese modernization.
The instructions were conveyed at a national conference on advanced manufacturing held in Beijing on Sept. 16 and 17. Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended and addressed the conference.
Li said that General Secretary Xi's important instructions have profoundly explained the significance, direction, pathways and key tasks for developing advanced manufacturing. They are highly strategic, instructive and targeted, providing important guidance for carrying out related work. Li called for earnestly grasping and acting on the instructions, treating the development of advanced manufacturing as an important strategic task, and making sustained efforts to steadily advance toward the goal of building China into a manufacturing powerhouse.
The premier urged efforts to keep pace with the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, position next-generation intelligent manufacturing as the focal point, and place greater emphasis on digital and intelligent empowerment in development strategy, on high-end and self-reliant technologies in technical pathways, on green and low-carbon production in manufacturing methods, and on cross-sector integration in business scenarios and models, so as to promote the intelligent, green and integrated development of the manufacturing sector.
Li stressed the need to focus on key areas, and adopt a comprehensive, well-targeted policy approach to continuously enhance the innovation capacity, competitiveness, and comprehensive strength of advanced manufacturing. He called for building an innovation-driven engine for industrial development, consolidating the foundation of basic research, intensifying efforts to make breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, and deepening the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements. He also emphasized accelerating the large-scale application of emerging industries, strengthening forward-looking planning for future industries, and promoting the renewal and upgrading of traditional industries.
Li called for deepening the "AI plus manufacturing" initiative, stepping up guidance and support for enterprises' digital and intelligent transformation, and consolidating the foundation of intelligent software and hardware. He said China should advance the deep integration of advanced manufacturing and modern services, foster service-oriented manufacturing via innovative approaches, cultivate advanced manufacturing clusters in light of local conditions, and promote quality improvement and upgrading in a differentiated and tiered manner. It is necessary to continue deepening reform and opening up, strengthen the principal role of enterprises, improve policy support and the supply of production factors, and create a favorable development environment, thereby continuously boosting the momentum and vitality of advanced manufacturing development, Li said.
Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, stressed in his concluding remarks the need to thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi's important instructions and act on the requirements set out in Premier Li's speech, and enhance the sense of urgency, responsibility and mission in developing advanced manufacturing. Zhang called for highlighting key priorities and seizing critical links, thoroughly implementing the initiative for high-quality development of key industrial chains, vigorously developing next-generation intelligent manufacturing, accelerating the upgrading and integrated development of the industrial system, and making solid strides toward delivering all tasks. He also emphasized the need to better leverage the role of market mechanisms, accelerate the establishment of a high-quality standard system, continuously address disorderly and irrational competition, actively help enterprises resolve practical difficulties, and strive to foster a sound ecosystem for the development of advanced manufacturing.
Officials in charge also delivered remarks at the meeting. They are from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, Jiangsu Province and Hubei Province.
Wu Zhenglong attended the meeting.
The meeting was held via video link. Also present at the meeting were leading officials of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, cities specifically designated in the state plan, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as leading officials from relevant central Party and government departments, people's organizations, some centrally administered financial institutions and enterprises, relevant departments of the CMC, and relevant enterprises in the manufacturing sector.
Editor：Bella Wu
