President calls for making industrial chains self-supporting, risk-resilient

President Xi Jinping has stressed continuous efforts to build up China’s advanced manufacturing to make the sector a strong pillar for Chinese modernization, while calling for the world’s largest manufacturer to continue pursuing smarter, greener, and more integrated development.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in a recent instruction that the nation must make its industrial chains more self-supporting and risk-resilient, and accelerate the development of a modernized industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone.

The goal is to reinforce the foundations of the real economy and make the sector a strong pillar for Chinese modernization, he said.

The instruction was conveyed at a national conference on advanced manufacturing held in Beijing on Sept 16 and 17.

The conference came as emerging sectors continue to drive the growth of world’s second-largest economy this year.

In the first half of the year, China’s value-added industrial output of enterprises above designated size grew 5.4 percent year-on-year, with value added in high-tech manufacturing rising 13.3 percent, while the increase in equipment manufacturing was 9.3 percent, according to National Bureau of Statistics data.

In the first seven months of 2026, new growth drivers, represented by high-tech manufacturing and digital product manufacturing, contributed more than 50 percent of the growth in industrial output for enterprises above the designated size, the NBS said.

Addressing the two-day conference, Premier Li Qiang highlighted the importance of making the development of advanced manufacturing a major strategic task.

He stressed that China should follow the trends of a new round of sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation, take next-generation intelligent manufacturing as the main focus, and place greater emphasis on digital and intelligent empowerment in its development strategy.

The premier also highlighted a greater emphasis on high-end self-reliance in terms of technological pathways, heightened green and low-carbon practices in production methods, and better cross-sector integration in terms of application scenarios and business models.

The nation must focus on key areas, adopt comprehensive policies, and take targeted measures to continuously enhance the innovation capacity, competitiveness, and overall strength of advanced manufacturing, he said.

Li also urged steps to further advance the “AI plus manufacturing” initiative, step up guidance and support for enterprises’ digital and intelligent transformation, and consolidate the foundation of intelligent software and hardware.

Analysts said the latest conference on advanced manufacturing has signaled that China will continue to regard the real economy as the foundation of economic growth, with advanced manufacturing serving as the backbone of the modern industrial system.

“The strategy of building China into a manufacturing powerhouse will remain a long-term priority. But the focus of growth is shifting from scale toward high-quality upgrading driven by smart, green, and integrated development,” said Zhu Keli, founding director of the China Institute of New Economy.

Zhu said that advanced manufacturing can translate sci-tech innovation into industrial strength, support stable supplies and high-quality employment, and drive balanced regional development.

Zhang Lingyan, an analyst with CCID Consulting, said a strong real economy, manufacturing sector, and complete industrial system are essential for building resilience against external shocks.

“The high value-added nature of advanced manufacturing creates more high-quality jobs, drives coordinated development across industrial chains and supports more balanced regional development,” she added.

Contact the writers at xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn