CCTV:

The 14th Five-Year Plan proposes fostering a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, which concerns all sectors of society. How do you see the status and role of China's industrial and information industry in fostering the new development paradigm? What are your plans and measures? Thank you.

Xiao Yaqing:

Thanks for your question. Fostering the new development paradigm is related to the overall systematic and profound reform, and is a strategic plan that focuses on both the present and the long term. Experience tells us that to foster the new development paradigm, the industrial and information industry is not only the main battlefield and main driving force but also a pioneer and forerunner necessary for development. We will unswervingly implement the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, target the right position, point to strengths and breakthroughs, and make great efforts to step up innovation in line with the new development paradigm. In order to achieve fairer, safer, and more sustainable development with higher quality and higher efficiency during industrialization and informatization, we will focus on the following aspects.

First, we will focus on domestic scientific and technological development to improve innovation capabilities within the industrial chain. New fields such as integrated circuits, critical software, new materials, and major equipment, as well as key areas including industrial internet and the relevant manufacturing sectors, will be highlighted. We will accelerate the establishment of a manufacturing innovation center and internet systems with a national manufacturing innovation center as the core, strengthen the dominant position of enterprise innovation, promote the application of new technology industrialization and large-scale utilization, and form new advanced manufacturing capabilities.

Second, we will focus on maintaining a complete industrial chain system to win the battle of advancing industrial foundation and modernizing the industrial chain. Consolidating and supplementing the industrial chain and rebuilding our industrial foundation will be emphasized via improving core basic parts, key basic components, advanced basic manufacturing technology and equipment, key basic materials, and industrial software, which I mentioned previously. We will fully intensify scientific and technological innovation and continuously strengthen the resilience and elasticity of the industrial chain to avoid leaving any loopholes.

Third, we will make efforts to expand domestic demand, ensure smooth flow of economic activity, and speed up improvements in the quality of the manufacturing supply system. We rely on expanding domestic demand since the domestic market is so large and has huge potential. Work to improve quality will continue according to domestic demand. We will also make efforts to increase variety, create brands, strengthen and boost information consumption, and further expand manufacturing equipment renewal and technological upgrading. Our high-end, smart, and green development will meet market needs in a systematic way.   

Fourth, with focus on domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, we will further improve opening-up of the country's industry and information technology. We are going to fully open up general manufacturing, orderly lift restrictions on foreign investment in telecommunication, and attract more high-end manufacturing projects with foreign investment. Recently, we witnessed how a few world-famous companies invested in China when the COVID-19 outbreak was severe last year. We will attract more institutions and talents, especially in the manufacturing industry, and encourage strong Chinese enterprises to improve their international operative level and deeply blend into the global industrial, value, supply, and innovation chains. Economic globalization and global division of the industrial chain will be an irreversible trend. Based on joint efforts to build the Belt and Road, we will promote international cooperation on industrial chains, and foster a new development paradigm with domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. Thank you for your question.