Chinese provinces set tailored plans to support emerging, future industries

Chinese provinces have outlined plans this year to strengthen support for tech-intensive industries, most of which are tailored to local conditions.

In their annual government work reports delivered at local "two sessions" this month, regional policy-makers unveiled more details on where the provincial economic landscape will be shifting for the year ahead.

At least five provinces or municipalities, including Shanghai, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Liaoning, proposed blueprints to boost the semiconductor industry, considered a critical "bottleneck" sector in China. Beijing is set to accelerate production capacity for major integrated circuit projects while supporting relevant firms to withstand external pressures.

In the new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturing field, where China holds a technological edge, Guangdong and Shanghai are gearing up to solidify their advantages. The Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions, where Guangdong and Shanghai are located, serve as China's major NEV hubs.

A southwestern economic circle that covers Sichuan and Chongqing is prioritizing smart and connected vehicle technologies, another innovation that drives the automotive industry forward. The country's southern province of Guangdong is pushing to build pilot cities for the national "vehicle-road-cloud integration" initiative.

Multiple provinces have introduced "AI plus" plans, with Beijing targeting the construction of two 10,000-card intelligent computing clusters. Guangdong is focusing on enhancing the application of general and industry-specific large language models (LLMs).

Shanghai and Sichuan have identified brain-computer interfaces as a key technological frontier, while Anhui targets building a fusion reactor research facility.

China's local governments tend to develop innovation and industrial roadmaps based on their unique strengths. The eastern province of Anhui is advancing an international lunar research station project, while Shanghai, home to the C919 aircraft manufacturing, is pushing to grow its large aircraft industry.

Hainan, China's southern island province, has prioritized marine-related industries in its development strategy, accelerating offshore wind farm construction while pioneering a landmark offshore wind-to-hydrogen demonstration project.

Anhui, Zhejiang and Hainan plan to build pilot platforms to foster the convergence of technological and industrial innovations.