On April 17, at an optical technology enterprise in the Bijie High-tech Industrial Development Zone of Guizhou Province, staff were conducting photometric performance tests on lighting fixtures. In recent years, the Bijie High-tech Industrial Development Zone has continuously optimized its business environment, intensified investment promotion efforts, and strengthened industrial ecosystem development, forming integrated R&D, production, and sales industrial clusters in areas such as new energy materials and light textiles. To date, the zone has attracted over 380 enterprises, including 44 large-scale enterprises, creating more than 16,000 jobs. In 2025, the industrial output value of large-scale enterprises reached 195.85 billion yuan, injecting strong momentum into high-quality local economic development.
On April 14, workers were operating on the large-wheel tractor assembly line at China Yituo Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Sinomach, located in Luoyang City, Henan Province. In recent years, Henan Province has prioritized scientific and technological innovation and industrial upgrading to actively promote high-quality development in manufacturing. In 2025, the value-added of Henan's equipment manufacturing industry grew by 13.6%, contributing 44.1% to the growth of the province's large-scale industrial sector.
On April 15, staff monitored workshop production in the central control room of CNOOC (Tianjin) Oilfield Chemical Co., Ltd.'s Nangang Chemical Plant. The Nangang Industrial Zone in Tianjin's Binhai New Area is a national-level modern chemical base and a core hub for Tianjin's petrochemical industry. In recent years, relevant enterprises have leveraged digital intelligence as a core driving force, harnessing the leadership of key enterprises by upgrading automated equipment and retrofitting or expanding smart workshops. These efforts are paving a new path toward "smart manufacturing," driving the transformation of the traditional petrochemical industry toward higher-end, intelligent, and green development.
In the digital workshop of Zhejiang Jin'an Auto Parts Co., Ltd. in Diankou Town, Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, industrial robots process vehicle fuel filler pipes (file photo). In recent years, Diankou Town has improved its mechanisms for nurturing innovative enterprises, actively cultivated "specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative" SMEs, and continuously enhanced the driving force of scientific and technological innovation to support the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.
How does the first quarterly "report card" of the industrial and informatization sector fare in the initial year of the "16th Five-Year Plan" period? What new characteristics are emerging in the industry? At a recent press conference held by the State Council Information Office, relevant officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) detailed the development achievements in the first quarter of 2026.
Industrial development remains stable and positive. "Since the beginning of this year, we have actively worked with various regions and departments to take early and proactive measures. In the first quarter, the industrial and informatization sector achieved a generally positive start," said Zhang Yunming, Vice Minister of MIIT. Data shows that in the first quarter, the value-added of large-scale industries increased by 6.1% year-on-year, with all 31 provinces achieving positive growth. Over 80% of industries expanded, and industry contributed nearly 40% to economic growth. Telecom business volume grew by 8.3% year-on-year, an acceleration of 0.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
The "stable" trend continues to consolidate, while "progressive" strides accelerate. The industrial structure is continuously optimizing. In the first quarter, the value-added of large-scale equipment manufacturing increased by 8.9% year-on-year, contributing nearly 50% to the growth of large-scale industrial value-added. Output of products with high technological content and added value, such as robot reducers and memory chips, achieved rapid growth exceeding 40%.
Positive momentum continues to strengthen. Manufacturing investment stabilized and rebounded, growing by 4.1% year-on-year in the first quarter, an acceleration of 3.5 percentage points compared to last year. Investment in sectors like computer and office equipment manufacturing, and aerospace equipment manufacturing achieved double-digit growth. In March, the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector rose by 1.4 percentage points from the previous month, entering the expansion zone.
Zhang Yunming stated that despite rising external uncertainties, China's comprehensive industrial system, strong industrial resilience, and large market size mean the fundamentally sound and improving trajectory of the industrial economy will not change. The next steps will focus on stabilizing growth, strengthening innovation, promoting integration, optimizing governance, and preventing risks to continuously enhance the quality and efficiency of industrial economic operations.
New growth drivers are accelerating their cultivation. The first batch of 21 national-level manufacturing pilot platforms and 14 top-tier technology business incubators have been selected; the second domestically built large cruise ship, "AIDA Huacheng," was successfully launched from dry dock; in the first two months, the penetration rate of new passenger vehicles equipped with L2-level combined driving assistance functions reached 69%. Currently, industrial scientific and technological innovation is deepening and solidifying, further unleashing growth potential.
The deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy is a key driver of industrial transformation and upgrading. "Since the beginning of this year, we have made positive progress in advancing information and communication infrastructure construction, focusing on building a solid foundation for the digital and intelligent transformation of the economy and society," said Xie Cun, Director of the MIIT's Department of Information Technology Development. 5G and gigabit optical networks have been integrated into 91 out of 97 major categories of the national economy.
Furthermore, relevant authorities have continued to promote the scaled development of "5G + Industrial Internet," accumulating over 25,000 such projects. They have established 1,260 classified and distinctive 5G factories, creating 100 technologically advanced and benchmark 5G factories. These efforts have led to an average product quality improvement of 20.5%, an operational cost reduction of 18.4%, and an average capacity increase of 24.7%.
Cultivating future industries is of great significance for seizing the commanding heights of science and technology, and grasping the initiative in development. Currently, China has deployed over 100 "unveiling the list and taking command" tasks for future industry innovation in key tracks such as quantum technology and clean, low-carbon hydrogen. It has systematically arranged a number of manufacturing innovation centers and pilot platforms in key future industry areas. The country has cultivated 509,000 high-tech enterprises, with 193 innovative industrial clusters gathering 54,000 innovative companies.
How to further propel future industries from the "laboratory" to the "mass market"? Zhang Yunming explained that efforts will focus on deploying research tasks aligned with actual industrial development needs, strengthening the synergistic advancement of basic and applied research, promoting the construction of manufacturing innovation centers and pilot platforms, and coordinating the formulation of universal policies alongside policies for specific sub-sectors.
Efforts to benefit enterprises are improving in quality and efficiency. Recent initiatives include launching special actions for talent services targeting SMEs, intensifying efforts to clear overdue payments to enterprises, deepening the rectification of online chaos in the automotive industry, continuously promoting capacity early warning regulation and standardizing price competition, and carrying out special actions for empowering SME development with inclusive computing power. The industrial and informatization system is persistently enhancing the quality and effectiveness of services benefiting enterprises.
Data shows that in the first two months, profits of large-scale industrial enterprises increased by 15.2% year-on-year, accelerating by 14.6 percentage points compared to last year. Competition order in sectors like new energy vehicles and photovoltaics continues to improve. Prices for products such as photovoltaic modules, lithium carbonate, and power-type lithium iron phosphate have generally rebounded.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an important force driving innovation, promoting employment, and improving livelihoods. "For the high-quality development of SMEs, specializing, refining, differentiating, and innovating is the essential path. We are accelerating the formation of a unified, well-connected, and precisely serviced gradient cultivation system for high-quality SMEs, and implemented the 'Measures for the Gradient Cultivation of High-Quality SMEs' starting April 1 this year," said Tao Qing, Director of the Bureau of Operation Monitoring and Coordination at MIIT.
Since the beginning of the year, the economic operation of SMEs has shown steady progress, with accelerated production and improved efficiency. In the first quarter, the value-added of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises within the large-scale industrial sector increased by 10.2% year-on-year.
Tao Qing stated that future efforts will involve implementing a three-year action plan for the gradient cultivation of high-quality enterprises, supporting eligible regions in exploring the establishment of empowerment centers for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs, releasing the "16th Five-Year Plan" for promoting SME development, establishing the second phase of the National SME Development Fund, and creating national SME public service demonstration platforms (bases).