An industrial robot operates in a digital workshop at Dongguan Moldbao Smart Technology Co in Dongguan, South China's Guangdong province, July 2, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING - China is upgrading its traditional industrial base while cultivating new sectors that could shape future competitiveness, seeking to move beyond scale and cost advantages toward a more innovation-driven industrial model, and inject new impetus into the country's high-quality development.
In the first half of 2026, the world's manufacturing powerhouse saw its value-added industrial output rise 5.4 percent year on year, with the industrial sector contributing more than 35 percent to overall economic growth.
The country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) underscores the development of a modernized industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone. Across factories and industrial clusters, a dual transformation is underway - modernizing established industries while cultivating new engines of growth.
Modernizing traditional industries
