Jiupai News:

Since the beginning of this year, localities across China have accelerated the cultivation of new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions. High-tech industries, as a key area of new quality productive forces, have shown positive momentum. How do you assess this development? What is your outlook for the trajectory of China's high-tech industries? Thank you.

Fu Linghui:

Thank you for your questions. I will take them. Since the start of this year, facing complex changes in both the domestic and international environments, all regions and departments have adhered to innovation-driven development. They have cultivated new quality productive forces suited to local conditions and deepened the integration of technological and industrial innovation. As a result, China's high-tech industries have maintained strong momentum, injecting new impetus into high-quality economic development. The main achievements are as follows:

First, output has grown rapidly, with integrated development progressing steadily. Upholding the development direction of intelligent, green and integrated growth, China has rolled out industrial innovation initiatives to accelerate integration between advanced manufacturing and modern services, driving rapid growth in high-tech sectors. Looking at the industrial sector, the value-added output of high-tech manufacturing enterprises above designated size increased 12.6% year on year in the first four months. In terms of products, the output of 3D printing equipment surged 50.9% in the first four months, while lithium-ion batteries climbed 36% and industrial robots grew 25.7%. The rapid growth of high-tech manufacturing has injected strong momentum into industrial transformation and the cultivation of new growth drivers. On the services side, the operating revenue of high-tech service enterprises above designated size grew 5.5% year on year, sustaining rapid growth. The rapid growth of production-related services, including R&D, design and information services, signals a positive trend in integrated industrial development. From January to March, the operating revenue of R&D and design services rose 9%, testing and inspection services grew 8.1% and e-commerce services climbed 7.8%.

Second, market sales have expanded, and product penetration has increased. China's high-tech products have gained wide acceptance in both domestic and overseas markets, driven by their high quality and strong cost-effectiveness. In the domestic market, demand for smart, green and health-oriented products has accelerated, driving strong sales growth in related high-tech goods. Data from key platforms showed smart glasses sales increased exponentially in the first quarter, while sales of top-rated energy-efficient washing machines and smart blood glucose meters both grew by more than 20%. In April, the domestic retail penetration rate of new energy vehicles exceeded 60% for the first time. Digital consumption and offline scenarios are converging rapidly, with drone delivery expanding quickly across cities. Internationally, China's exports of high-tech products grew 27.6% year on year, markedly outpacing overall export growth and accounting for 27.9% of total export value. Exports of China's "new three" products — electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaics — have surged. Chinese-branded electric vehicles, household photovoltaic energy storage equipment and more are increasingly found around the world. Chinese high-tech products are winning over consumers in global markets.

Third, investment has maintained sound growth momentum, with development potential continuing to strengthen. With companies increasingly focused on emerging and future industries, investment in high-tech fields has expanded steadily. From January to April, investment in high-tech industries grew 6.1% year on year, significantly outpacing overall investment growth. Among major industries, investment in aerospace and equipment manufacturing rose 17.9% and computers and office equipment 13.9%, while professional and technical services and R&D and design services grew 8.2% and 7.5%, respectively. Investment in cutting-edge fields, such as AI, embodied intelligence and 6G, has accelerated. These sectors are emerging as new drivers of investment growth, laying strong foundations for future industrial upgrading and high-quality economic development.

Overall, China's high-tech industries are growing strongly, with a clear trend toward improvement and quality, increasingly serving as an important force underpinning stable economic operation and high-quality development. Going forward, China will deepen implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, accelerate the building of a modern industrial system, and actively cultivate and strengthen emerging and future industries. The goal is to further unleash the dynamism of China's high-tech industries and bring more high-quality products and services into homes across the country, better meeting people's aspirations for a better life. Thank you.

Zhou Jianshe:

That concludes today's press conference. Thank you to our two speakers and to all the journalists for joining us. Goodbye, everyone!

Translated and edited by Wang Ziteng, Liao Jiaxin, You Jiaxin, Xu Kailin, Lin Liyao, Yan Xiaoqing, Wang Yanfang, Cui Can, Xu Xiaoxuan, Yang Chuaili, Liu Qiang, Zhou Jing, Ma Yujia, Liu Sitong, Gong Yingchun, Li Xiao, Wang Yiming, Fan Junmei, Li Huiru, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Tudor Finneran. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.