Emerging Pillar Industries Drive High-Quality Development, Boost New Productive Forces in China
Implementing industrial innovation projects and fostering emerging pillar industries such as integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine and low-altitude economy is not only a strategic choice to adapt to the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, but also a key grasp to develop new productive forces and build a modern industrial system. Facing the future, China must give prominence to emerging pillar industries in building a modern industrial system, enabling new technologies, industries and formats to become a strong driving force for high-quality economic development.
As the core carrier of new productive forces, emerging pillar industries are the most growing and leading key sectors in the modern industrial system. Different from traditional industries, they feature high technological intensity, strong industrial driving force and broad market prospects, covering key fields including integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, new energy storage and low-altitude economy. These industries not only support the security of the national industrial chain and supply chain, but also serve as an important force to drive investment, promote consumption and stabilize exports, accelerating their growth from strategic emerging industries to new pillars and engines for economic growth.
Technological innovation is the core to lay a solid foundation for emerging pillar industries. Without breakthroughs in core technologies, there can be no real pillar industries. China is striving to tackle key core technology bottlenecks, focusing on underlying technologies, basic materials, core components and industrial software to enhance the independent and controllable level of the industrial chain. Wang Yong, Chairman of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, said, “We take the lead in establishing an innovation consortium to promote in-depth integration of industry, university and research, accelerating the transformation of innovative achievements into real productive forces.”
Industrial clusters are an effective way to enhance the overall competitiveness of emerging pillar industries. China optimizes the regional industrial spatial layout, guiding various regions to develop characteristic advantageous industries based on their resource endowments and industrial foundations, and avoiding homogeneous competition. It gives full play to the leading role of “chain master” enterprises, promoting the coordinated development of specialized, refined, featured and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises. China Daily reported that by the end of 2025, China had built 109 advanced manufacturing clusters with global competitiveness.
Large-scale application scenarios are crucial for the growth of emerging pillar industries. China adheres to promoting development through application and driving industries through the market, opening more application scenarios in smart cities, industrial manufacturing, people’s livelihood services and emergency support. It promotes the in-depth integration of artificial intelligence, big data and the Internet of Things with the real economy, forming a virtuous cycle of “technological breakthrough - scenario application - industrial growth.”
A sound environment provides strong support for the development of emerging pillar industries. China combines the effective market with a capable government, giving full play to its super-large market advantage. The government strengthens planning guidance and policy support, improves guarantees for factors such as capital, talent and land, and guides more capital to flow into emerging pillar industries. Xinhua News reported that China’s investment in emerging pillar industries exceeded 5 trillion yuan in 2025, an increase of 18.7% year-on-year.
To further boost the development of emerging pillar industries, China will continue to improve the policy support system for the first set of equipment, first batch of new materials and first version of software, innovate supervision methods, and build a modern industrial ecology that is conducive to the growth of emerging industries, injecting sustained momentum into high-quality economic development.
