Manufacturing hub leverages position to drive nation's overall development

Fujian province will prioritize the real economy in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system with distinct regional characteristics to drive high-quality development, Zhou Zuyi, secretary of the Communist Party of China Fujian Provincial Committee, said during the ongoing two sessions in Beijing.

As one of China's top manufacturing hubs, the coastal province's economy is largely driven by the real economy, or goods and services, providing a solid foundation for building a modern industrial system, Zhou — also head of the Fujian delegation to the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress — said at the delegation's open-day meeting on Friday.

"Fujian is committed to shouldering its responsibility as a major economic province by taking the lead, striving to excel and better serve the nation's overall development through the advancement of its real economy," he said.

By prioritizing the real economy during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, data showed that the province saw its industrial added value grow from 1.51 trillion yuan ($219.7 billion) in 2020 to 1.98 trillion yuan in 2025, an average annual increase of 5.5 percent.

For the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), Fujian will focus on making its industries smarter, greener and more integrated by deepening the integration of scientific and industrial innovation, he said.

In a recently published signed article, Zhou noted that manufacturing added value reached 30.6 percent of Fujian's GDP in 2025, providing a solid foundation for a modern industrial system with manufacturing as its backbone.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Fujian will implement the"555X" industrial cluster strategy to foster a tiered growth pattern.

The strategy aims to build five trillion-yuan pillar clusters — electronic information, modern chemicals, advanced equipment manufacturing, modern textiles and apparel, and new energy.

The province will also strengthen five 500-billion-yuan backbone clusters, including new materials, green food, new metallurgy, characteristic light industry, and green building materials and smart home furnishings.

In addition, Fujian plans to expand five 100-billion-yuan emerging sectors, including artificial intelligence and robotics, biopharmaceuticals, energy conservation and environmental protection, the low-altitude economy, and the photoelectric industry. Several 10-billion-yuan clusters in future-oriented fields will also be nurtured, Zhou said.

Zhou stressed that modernized agriculture is a vital foundation of the province's modern industrial system, adding that Fujian will treat agricultural development with the same rigor as industrial development.

The province aims to build more than 30 distinctive agricultural clusters and 30 counties, each with output values exceeding 10 billion yuan by 2030. The total industrial chain value of 10 major rural specialty industries is expected to exceed 4 trillion yuan.

Zhou also highlighted modern services as a key support for the industrial system, pledging to deepen integration between modern services, advanced manufacturing and agriculture to meet the demand for industrial upgrades.

Modern infrastructure will serve as a critical safeguard for the province's industrial landscape, Zhou said, adding that Fujian will build a comprehensive infrastructure network covering transportation, energy, water conservancy, information and logistics to support the modern industrial system.

Contact the writers at zhangyi1@chinadaily.com.cn