Xinhua News Agency: 

We know that Hubei is a major manufacturing province, with a solid foundation in competitive industries like optoelectronic information, new energy and intelligent connected vehicles. What has Hubei done to build a modern industrial system?

Wang Zhonglin:

Thank you for your question. I'll take this one. We all recognize that industry is the cornerstone of development. Over the years, Hubei has focused on strengthening the real economy, accelerating the creation of a modern industrial system led by strategic emerging industries, dominated by advanced manufacturing, and driven by modern service industries. Hubei's industrial progress can be outlined as follows: fast transformation, strong momentum, new tracks, and enhanced quality and efficiency. The value added by high-tech manufacturing surged by an average of 18.8% annually over the past three years. Industries such as data storage chips, commercial aerospace, and cyber security are leading the nation in terms of overall strength. General Secretary Xi Jinping has acknowledged Hubei's unique position in the optoelectronic information industry. Our efforts are focused on the following aspects: 

First, we have supported the further development of modern industrial clusters, cultivating new advantages for industrial growth. We remain committed to developing distinctive and competitive industries, with a focus on building major industrial clusters in Hubei, which feature five pillar industries each worth a trillion yuan, 10 competitive industries each worth 500 billion yuan, and 20 distinctive industries each worth 100 billion yuan. Hubei is now home to three industries each with an annual output of nearly 1 trillion yuan, 18 industries exceeding 100 billion yuan each, four national strategic emerging industrial clusters, and 16 national innovative industrial clusters, all ranking among the country's highest. We have achieved breakthroughs in five competitive industries, such as optoelectronic information and high-end equipment manufacturing, with revenues accounting for over 60% of the province's industrial enterprises above the designated size. Hubei has become the largest R&D and production base for optoelectronic chips in China, the country's largest manufacturing base for small and medium-sized display panels, and important national hubs for the commercial space industry and for NEVs and intelligent connected vehicles.

Second, we have followed a "three-pronged approach" to advance the development of traditional industries, emerging industries and future industries, and enhanced new driving forces for industrial transformation and upgrading. We have made coordinated efforts to upgrade traditional industries, grow emerging industries, and cultivate future industries, aiming to improve their quality and effectiveness. There is a significant transformation in the traditional sector, with the steel industry moving toward high-end production, the chemical industry toward precision, and the automotive industry toward new energy and intelligent connectivity. Regarding automobile manufacturing, Hubei is one of the few provinces to have a comprehensive automobile manufacturing system. Over the years, we have accelerated the transformation of the automobile industry, launching more than 10 NEV models each year. Popular models include Dongfeng Mengshi, Geely's Lotus, Voyah, Xiaopeng and Ultium. In the first quarter of this year, the production of NEVs grew by 109%, 81 percentage points higher than the national average. We have accelerated the development of emerging industries. Emerging and distinctive industries such as computing power, big data and Beidou navigation have grown rapidly. The value added by the high-tech sector has surpassed 1 trillion yuan, contributing more than 40% to industrial growth. The value added by the digital economy has accounted for 47% of GDP. As for future industry planning, we have launched eight major initiatives regarding breakthroughs in humanoid robots and the innovative development of 6G technology, among others, to seize new development opportunities and elevate Hubei's industrial development to new heights.

Third, we have taken solid steps to promote closer collaboration between industries, universities, and research institutes, creating a new collaboration ecosystem between supply chains and industrial clusters. We have established a mechanism where provincial-level officials assume leadership, leading enterprises take the initiative, and universities and research institutions provide support, generating a multiplying effect of "1+1+1>3." In the past, China relied on imports for the world's highest-end three-dimensional five-axis laser processing machine tools. To address this, we supported three companies, including HGTECH, to take the lead, organized over 100 enterprises and scientific research institutions to jointly tackle key problems, and ultimately broke the foreign monopoly. Currently, 70% of the country's three-dimensional five-axis laser processing machine tools are made in Hubei. The efficient collaboration of the visible hand of the government, the invisible hand of the market, and the empowering hand of innovation has effectively promoted technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrading. Next, we will focus on the strategic task of new industrialization, making every effort to build an innovation ecosystem that links government, enterprises, and scientific research institutions and connects upstream and downstream sectors, injecting strong momentum into high-quality industrial development.

That's all for my introduction. Thank you.