“First New Year meetings” in many localities send new signals of development.

Focusing on the modern industrial system, scientific and technological innovation, and the vitality of market entities.

   “First New Year meetings” in many localities send new signals of development.

  On February 24, the first working day after the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse, multiple provinces including Guangdong, Shandong, Hubei, and Hunan convened their “first meetings of the New Year,” focusing on industrial development, technological innovation, and the vitality of market entities, thereby sounding the clarion call to kick off the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

  The real economy is the foundation of a major country and a crucial pillar for building strategic advantages in future development. At “the first meeting of the new year” held in many localities, strong signals were sent to uphold the real economy as the cornerstone and to make every effort to build a modern industrial system.

  On February 24, Guangdong Province convened a province-wide conference on high-quality development, focusing on the coordinated development of manufacturing and the service sector. The conference called for transforming industrial growth from sheer scale to robust strength through such synergy, with the aim of building a modern industrial system characterized by mutual integration, complementary advancement, and symbiotic coupling.

  Guangdong is both a major manufacturing province and a leading service‑providing province. Vigorously promoting the coordinated development of manufacturing and services is a key strategy for advancing Guangdong’s manufacturing sector toward higher‑value‑added segments of the value chain. Last year, the Guangdong Provincial Government issued the “Several Measures to Promote the Deep Integration of Manufacturing and Productive Services,” calling for accelerated innovation in service‑oriented manufacturing, shifting the manufacturing model from a purely production‑centric approach to a “manufacturing + services” paradigm, and transitioning from selling products alone to offering “products + services.” The 2026 Guangdong Provincial Government Work Report likewise emphasizes fostering the servitization of manufacturing and the manufacturing‑ization of services, leveraging service‑sector upgrades to drive and underpin the overall optimization and upgrading of the industrial system.

  On the day of the “First Meeting of the New Year,” the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission released the “White Paper on the Coordinated Development of Manufacturing and Service Industries in Guangdong Province,” further identifying ten key areas for fostering synergistic development between manufacturing and service sectors, including technology services, design services, software and information services, quality and brand‑related services, and energy‑saving and environmental‑protection services.

  Shandong Province has for many years consecutively implemented the “No. 1 Project” for its industrial economy. By 2025, the province’s industrial revenue from enterprises above designated size is expected to reach RMB 12.2 trillion, ranking third nationwide; the value added of this sector is projected to grow by 7.6%, outpacing the national average by 1.7 percentage points. Industry contributes 45% to Shandong’s GDP, and the province ranks among the top five nationally in revenue across 18 major manufacturing categories. By 2025, Shandong will account for half of China’s high-speed trainsets, one-third of commercial vehicles, and nearly one-quarter of the nation’s chemical output.

  At the “First Meeting of the New Year” in Shandong Province, reporters learned that this year, while ensuring steady growth in the industrial economy, the province will vigorously advance the “AI + Manufacturing” initiative. It plans to allocate more than 40% of its technological transformation funding to smart‑upgrade projects, establish 10 pioneering application cities, strengthen 100 industry‑specific large models, achieve full coverage across all 41 major industrial categories, and strive to push core‑industry revenues beyond RMB 160 billion.

  At the scene of Hubei Province’s “First Meeting of the New Year,” several Hubei‑made electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft made their debut, showcasing a series of landmark achievements that the province has attained through independent research and development in the low‑altitude economy, as it strives to forge ahead with innovation.

  The low-altitude economy is one of Hubei’s 12 emerging, specialized industries. According to data, by 2025, Hubei’s emerging industries will accelerate their rise, with the value added of high-tech manufacturing accounting for 17.4% of the total and contributing 35.6% to industrial growth.

  At the “First Meeting of the New Year,” Hubei Province focused on accelerating its role as a key strategic pivot for the rise of the central region, pledging to achieve new breakthroughs in building a modern industrial system. The province is prioritizing science and technology-driven empowerment by strengthening national laboratories, Hubei Laboratories, and major scientific and technological infrastructure, thereby fostering deep integration between technological innovation and industrial advancement. It will also continue to extend, supplement, and fortify industrial chains, developing trillion-yuan‑scale industrial corridors in areas such as optoelectronics information, new energy and intelligent connected vehicles, new energy and new materials, life and health, and high-end equipment, while striving to establish a number of nationally recognized industrial clusters.

  Enterprises are the fundamental building blocks of the industrial system; when these “cells” are vibrant and highly functional, the broader industrial ecosystem can undergo faster renewal and robust growth. As efforts to advance technological innovation and industrial development gain momentum, corporate vitality and the business environment have emerged as key themes at many localities’ “first meetings of the New Year.”

  The province is prioritizing the cultivation of “leading‑goose” enterprises that are ecologically driven, supporting flagship firms and chain‑leaders in establishing industry alliances to become all‑round champions capable of delivering integrated “manufacturing + services” solutions. At the same time, it is carefully nurturing hub‑type “platform” enterprises, helping them strengthen their capabilities in resource allocation, channel management, and production coordination. Centered on the synergy between manufacturing and service sectors, Guangdong Province has introduced a series of measures to invigorate the micro‑economic entities that form the backbone of the economy.

  Hunan Province’s “First Meeting of the New Year” placed a strong emphasis on the private sector and launched the “Year of Enterprise Services.” In 2025, the Regulations of Hunan Province on Optimizing the Business Environment will officially come into effect, employing rule-of-law mechanisms to safeguard enterprises’ legitimate rights and interests, standardize government conduct, and establish a solid legal foundation for the development of the private economy. This year, Hunan Province has explicitly committed to implementing the “Year of Enterprise Services,” further deepening reforms to improve the business environment and precisely addressing the needs of businesses. (Reporters: Wang Zixu, Wang Yang, Meng Yingru, Hou Wenkun)

[Editor-in-charge: Liu Yang]

Source: Economic Information Daily