Over the past five years, China's manufacturing value-added has accounted for nearly 30% of the global total. Among the world's 504 major industrial products, China leads in the output of most categories. In 2024, 64 manufacturing companies were listed in the Fortune Global 500, and the industrialization rate of enterprises' invention patents increased by 8.4 percentage points compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. On September 9, the State Council Information Office held a press conference where Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Le Cheng and others presented the "report card" of China's industrial and informatization development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.
Manufacturing Scale Ranks First Globally for 15 Consecutive Years
Manufacturing serves as the foundation and pillar of a strong nation. Over the past five years, this foundation has grown stronger and the industrial base thicker. Li Le Cheng noted that China's manufacturing value-added now accounts for close to 30% of the global total, maintaining its position as the world's largest for 15 consecutive years.
Advanced manufacturing has accelerated its growth. In 2024, the production of new energy vehicles exceeded 13 million units, with both output and sales ranking first globally for ten consecutive years. The international market share of the shipbuilding industry continues to lead globally. The industry's "green" content has consistently improved, with 6,430 national-level green factories established and the energy consumption per unit of added value in industries above the designated size continuously decreasing.
Innovation momentum is more robust. Over the past five years, China's innovation investment has steadily increased. R&D expenditure of manufacturing enterprises above the designated size accounted for over 1.6% of their operating revenue, and more than 570 industrial enterprises ranked among the global top 2,500 in R&D investment. Landmark achievements include the "Chang'e" lunar lander, the "Tianhe" space station, the deployment of the "Beidou" navigation network, the successful rollout of the CR450 high-speed train prototype, and the development of domestic extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines filling a critical gap.
Digital-real integration has expanded in scope and efficiency. Over the past five years, China has built the world's largest and most extensive network infrastructure, with 4.598 million 5G base stations and over 100 million connected devices on key industrial internet platforms. "In the production sector, there are over 20,000 '5G + Industrial Internet' projects nationwide. In the consumption sector, new models like e-commerce live streaming, immersive shopping, and digital cultural tourism are flourishing. In the public service sector, 100% of primary and secondary schools nationwide have achieved internet access," introduced Zhang Yunming, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology.
Large, medium, and small enterprises are developing in an integrated manner. As of July this year, the number of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased by 138,000 compared to the end of 2020. The quality and efficiency of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development have improved significantly, with over 60 million SMEs registered nationwide. The number of national high-tech enterprises reached 504,000, and more than 140,000 specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative SMEs have been cultivated, including 14,600 "little giant" enterprises and 1,557 manufacturing single champion enterprises.
33 National-Level Manufacturing Innovation Centers Established
"In recent years, we have strengthened supply, built platforms, nurtured entities, and promoted transformation to vigorously enhance industrial scientific and technological innovation capabilities, effectively driving industrial leapfrog upgrades," said Li Le Cheng.
The status of enterprises as the main body of technological innovation has achieved a "new leap." In terms of input, policies such as additional deductions for R&D expenses have been implemented to encourage increased R&D investment. Enterprise R&D funding now accounts for over three-quarters of total societal R&D expenditure. In terms of output, the number of invention patent applications by industrial enterprises rose from 907,000 at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period to 1.244 million in 2024, increasing their share of total annual invention patent applications from 60% to 65%.
The construction of high-level innovation and service platforms has formed a "new landscape." During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 16 new national-level manufacturing innovation centers were established, bringing the total to 33. They have made breakthroughs in nearly 700 key generic technologies, overcoming bottlenecks from basic research to industrial application. A total of 187 key laboratories under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have been accredited, and the first batch of 241 key pilot platform cultivation projects under the Ministry have been selected, building bridges for products from the "laboratory" to the "production line."
National high-tech zones have taken "new steps" in developing new quality productive forces. In 2024, 178 national high-tech zones achieved a total output value of 19.3 trillion yuan, accounting for 14.3% of national GDP. Their overall labor productivity reached 718,000 yuan per person, doubling from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, original technologies and products such as the world's first superconducting quantum computer and the first prototype of a general-purpose artificial intelligence system were born within these zones.
Major technical equipment is a crucial support for industrial upgrading. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the C919 large aircraft safely transported over 3 million passengers cumulatively; the Long March-7 Y10 carrier rocket completed a rapid 3-hour space delivery mission for the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft; and the "Shen Di Ta Ke 1 Well" successfully completed drilling at a depth of 10,910 meters underground. "We will accelerate the construction of a supply-demand-adapted, high-quality, and efficient major technical equipment system, promoting the high-end, intelligent, green, and international development of such equipment," stated Xin Guobin, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology.
New Installations of Industrial Robots Exceed 50% of Global Total
"Since the 14th Five-Year Plan began, we have strengthened policy guidance and factor support, coordinating efforts to transform and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and expand emerging industries, and strategically plan for future industries," Li Le Cheng stated.
Traditional industries are accelerating their "renewal." "Traditional industries constitute the main body of China's manufacturing sector, accounting for approximately 80% of major indicators like value-added and employment in the total manufacturing industry," Li Le Cheng noted. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has supported 46 cities in piloting new-type technological transformation initiatives, cumulatively building over 230 excellence-level smart factories and 1,260 5G factories. New installations of industrial robots account for over 50% of the global total. The comprehensive energy consumption per unit product in sectors like steel and cement clinker has generally reached world-advanced levels.
Emerging industries are accelerating to "take the lead." A group of internationally competitive dominant industries, including new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, lithium batteries, and ship and marine engineering equipment, have been cultivated and expanded. A multitude of new business forms and models, such as flexible customization, shared manufacturing, smart logistics, and intelligent security, are rapidly emerging. In 2024, China's production and sales of new energy vehicles were approximately 9.5 times those of 2020, and the output of photovoltaic and wind power equipment ranks among the world's top. Meanwhile, high-level industrial carriers continue to grow, with over 60 national advanced manufacturing clusters in emerging industries cultivated cumulatively and 23 national innovation demonstration zones established.
Future industries are intensifying efforts to "take root." Superconducting and optical quantum computers have achieved quantum computational advantage verification; the overall level of laser manufacturing technology has entered the world's first tier; humanoid robots possess full industrial chain manufacturing capabilities from key chips and components to complete machines; brain-computer interface applications are expanding from the medical field to education and industry; and bio-manufacturing technologies are widely used in sectors like pharmaceuticals, health, daily chemicals, cosmetics, and green energy.
Li Le Cheng stated that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will next accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone, deepen the technological transformation of industry and equipment renewal, implement actions to foster new growth drivers, adhere to high-level openness, and promote industrial upgrading with a forward-looking layout for stable development.
