Traditional industries constitute a vital component of China's national economy, serving as a crucial foundation for supporting economic development and meeting people's livelihood needs. They are integral to the broader landscape of national development and security. During his inspection tour in Shanxi, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to grasp market demands, strengthen scientific and technological innovation, and revitalize traditional industries. His important remarks, focused on accelerating the development of new productive forces and promoting high-quality development, chart the course for the high-quality transformation and development of traditional industries in the new era.
Currently, accelerating the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries in response to the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is not only a crucial measure to enhance the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains but also an inevitable requirement for advancing new industrialization and accelerating the construction of a manufacturing powerhouse. Since the new era began, China has continuously promoted technological transformation in manufacturing, with traditional industries demonstrating a new momentum of iterative advancement, providing vital support for accelerating the development of new productive forces. At the same time, we must recognize that some vague or even erroneous perceptions still exist regarding the accelerated upgrading of traditional industries. For instance, some view traditional industries as “backward” or “low-end,” blindly chasing “novelty” and ‘trends’; others simplistically equate traditional industries with “high energy consumption” and “high pollution,” resulting in insufficient investment in their transformation and upgrading. When these misconceptions translate into practice, they often lead to neglecting one aspect while focusing on another, resulting in wasted resources and undermining industrial competitiveness.
Where should the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries be directed? General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the need to actively apply new technologies to transform and enhance traditional industries, promoting their “high-end, intelligent, and green” development. This clarifies the foundation and strategic direction for industrial innovation and the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. This year's Government Work Report explicitly calls for “fostering new growth drivers to gain momentum and revitalizing traditional drivers for upgrading.” Transforming traditional industries does not mean abandoning existing resource endowments, but rather re-examining strengths to achieve breakthroughs through structural adjustments and modern technological empowerment. By accelerating upgrades across the three dimensions of high-end, intelligent, and green development, traditional industries can become the main battlefield for innovation and achieve revitalization.
How should traditional industries transform? This is a systematic endeavor that must respect economic laws and fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy. We must seize the new opportunities presented by the technological revolution and industrial transformation, accelerate the digital transformation of manufacturing, focus on smart manufacturing, launch the “AI+Manufacturing” initiative, accelerate the innovative application of digital technologies, and build a comprehensive industrial internet system encompassing networks, platforms, and security to continuously enhance intelligence levels. We must fully leverage digital and intelligent technologies, as well as green technologies, to upgrade traditional industries and develop advanced manufacturing. We should strengthen original and disruptive technological innovation, enhance industrial foundational capabilities, and overcome bottlenecks and critical challenges in key core manufacturing technologies, basic components and parts, and fundamental materials. We must accelerate green technological innovation and the promotion of advanced green technologies, drive the green transformation of traditional manufacturing, elevate the green standards of industrial chains and supply chains, cultivate more green factories and green industrial parks, and promote the coordinated advancement of carbon reduction, pollution control, ecological expansion, and economic growth.
