Emerging industries activate the new engine of economic growth

"China’s economy is a sea, not a small pond." In the face of risk challenges, China’s economy can always resist the pressure and continue to recover, and it is more robust after the storm. In 2022, we persisted in striving for progress in stability, promoted high-quality development, and made solid progress in the new journey of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way, and China’s overall economic and social situation remained stable. Since December, 2022, with the successive release and effective implementation of a series of policies to optimize epidemic prevention and control, many markets in China have shown signs of recovery. In 2023, the economic prospect of China is even more worth looking forward to. People’s Forum Network, in combination with innovative practices in various places, launched a series of manuscripts entitled "Where is the Confidence in Understanding China’s Economy". Today, followDu Chuanzhong, Professor of Institute of Economic and Social Development of Nankai University and Director of Institute of Industrial Economics.Interpretation, let’s walk into the rapid development of emerging industries.

In recent years, strategic emerging industries represented by big data, artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, etc. have continued to grow and develop in China, becoming an important driving force for stabilizing economic operation and promoting high-quality development. Party’s Report to the 20th CPC National Congress pointed out, "Promote the development of strategic emerging industries integration clusters and build a number of new growth engines such as a new generation of information technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment and environmental protection." Developing emerging industries is not only the need of the situation, but also the general trend.

◇　What is an emerging industry?

Du Chuanzhong, a professor at the Institute of Economic and Social Development of Nankai University and director of the Institute of Industrial Economics, said,Strategic emerging industries refer to industries that are based on major technological breakthroughs and major development needs, have a major leading role in the overall economic and social development and long-term development, and have great growth potential. An important feature of this kind of industry is the deep integration of emerging technologies and emerging industries, which not only represents the direction of scientific and technological innovation, but also represents the direction of industrial upgrading and development, and has high market competitiveness and industrial driving ability.

In the new round of global scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, developing strategic emerging industries is conducive to seizing the opportunities of future industrial development and enhancing the overall competitiveness of China’s industrial system.

◇　How do emerging industries in various places make accurate efforts?

The Central Economic Work Conference proposed to "pay close attention to the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and the cultivation and growth of strategic emerging industries" and "accelerate the research and development and application promotion of cutting-edge technologies such as new energy, artificial intelligence, bio-manufacturing, green and low carbon, and quantum computing". In terms of emerging industries, China’s new kinetic energy continues to grow. The output of key high-tech products such as new energy vehicles, solar cells and mobile communication base station equipment has increased rapidly, and the resilience of new industries, new formats and new models has become one of the main driving forces for China’s economic recovery and growth. Recently, many places have intensively issued plans to further lay out the layout around emerging industries and future industries.

In the G60 Science and Technology Corridor in Songjiang, Shanghai, seven industries, including integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and biomedicine, have emerged, and many advanced manufacturing enterprises, such as SIC Aero Engine, HKUST Intelligence, Howe Semiconductor and Zhengtai Zhidian Port, have gathered.

From product research and development, device selection, material supply to production delivery, in recent years, Songjiang’s electronic manufacturing industry chain has become more and more complete, supporting and growing together with artificial intelligence, industrial Internet and other industries. At present, Songjiang has formed a complete chain from platforms and solution providers to professional service organizations and smart equipment manufacturers in the field of industrial Internet, gathering more than 300 key enterprises in the upstream and downstream industrial chains, and driving more than 8,000 small and medium-sized enterprises in the region to the cloud.

Anhui is accelerating the construction of a gathering place for emerging industries. Wuhu fully promotes new energy and intelligent networked vehicles as the first industry. The vigorous development of emerging industries drives the continuous optimization of economic structure, and the core competitiveness of enterprises continues to increase. From Luozi global remote sensing satellite industrial base and satellite global operation center, to the domestic market share of intelligent voice main products reaching 70%, and then to the first batch of strategic emerging industrial clusters in new display, artificial intelligence and other countries, nearly 500 industrial enterprises above designated size are gathered, and the output value of the whole industrial chain exceeds 300 billion yuan … … Emerging industries continue to improve quality, expand quantity and increase efficiency, and become the main growth energy of Anhui manufacturing industry.

The western region is also building a new engine of economic growth with emerging industries. With a number of major projects of domestic leading enterprises in silicon materials industry signing contracts in Beihai, Guangxi, a 100 billion yuan green photovoltaic industry cluster has taken shape in southwest China. In 2022, Guangxi has become an important manufacturing base of advanced non-ferrous metal materials, power and energy storage battery materials in China, and the contribution rate of strategic emerging industries to industrial growth exceeds 30%.

Qinghai has a unique advantage in developing photovoltaics. By the end of 2022, Xining has gathered 13 photovoltaic industry chain enterprises such as polysilicon, monocrystalline silicon and components. In the first three quarters of 2022, the growth rate of industrial added value above designated size in Xining was 25.8%, maintaining double-digit growth for 21 consecutive months; The total industrial output value of Xining photovoltaic industry exceeds 20 billion yuan, more than three times that of the same period in 2021.

Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Tongqiang, project workshop of a photovoltaic technology industrial park in Qinghai

The layout of "new tracks" for emerging industries and future industries is a key variable for all localities to promote competitiveness and modernization. All localities seized opportunities, the pace of industrial upgrading accelerated, emerging industries continued to grow, and new kinetic energy increased well.

◇　howFurther develop and expand strategic emerging industries.?

Du Chuanzhong, a professor at the Institute of Economic and Social Development of Nankai University and director of the Institute of Industrial Economics, believes that,Efforts should be made to build a number of new growth engines such as a new generation of information technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment and environmental protection.

Grasp the trend of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and plan to develop a number of future industries with broad development prospects in the frontier fields of science and technology and industrial transformation such as brain-like intelligence, quantum information, genetic technology, future network, deep-sea aerospace development, hydrogen energy and energy storage. By promoting the in-depth exploration and cross-integration innovation of cutting-edge technology, especially accelerating the innovation breakthrough of subversive technologies, we will promote the rapid development of future industries.

Further consolidate the leading position of advantageous industries such as strategic emerging industries and future industries, speed up the filling of shortcomings in the field of safe development, and enhance the ability of strategic resource supply guarantee.

It is necessary to give full play to China’s industrial scale, industrial supporting advantages and first-Mover advantages in some fields, step up efforts to build emerging industrial chains, promote the high-end, intelligent, green and service-oriented transformation of traditional industries, and promote the optimization and upgrading of the whole industrial chain.