In the first year of the "16th Five-Year Plan" period, how did the industrial and information technology sectors perform in their initial quarterly report? What new characteristics are emerging in the industry? At a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the 21st, relevant officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) detailed the development achievements for the first quarter of 2026.
Industrial development remained stable and improved. "Since the beginning of the year, we have actively worked with various regions and departments to take early action and proactive measures. In the first quarter, industrial and information technology development achieved a generally positive start," said Zhang Yunming, Vice Minister of MIIT.
Data shows that in the first quarter, the value-added of large-scale industries increased by 6.1% year-on-year. All 31 provinces achieved positive growth, with over 80% of industrial sectors expanding. The industrial sector contributed nearly 40% to economic growth. Telecom business volume grew by 8.3% year-on-year, an acceleration of 0.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year. The "stable" trend continues to strengthen, while the pace of "progress" is accelerating.
The industrial structure is continuously optimizing. In the first quarter, value-added in large-scale equipment manufacturing increased by 8.9% year-on-year, contributing nearly 50% to the growth of large-scale industrial value-added. Production of high-tech, high-value-added products such as robot reducers and memory chips saw rapid growth exceeding 40%.
The positive momentum continues to solidify. Manufacturing investment stabilized and rebounded, growing 4.1% year-on-year in the first quarter, accelerating by 3.5 percentage points compared to last year. Investment in sectors like computer and office equipment manufacturing, and aerospace equipment manufacturing achieved double-digit growth. In March, the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose by 1.4 percentage points from the previous month, entering the expansion zone.
Zhang Yunming stated that while external uncertainties are rising, China's comprehensive industrial system, strong industrial resilience, and vast market size mean the fundamental trend of stable and improving industrial economic performance will not change. The next steps will focus on stabilizing growth, strengthening innovation, promoting integration, optimizing governance, and preventing risks to continuously enhance the quality and efficiency of industrial operations.
New growth drivers are accelerating. The first batch of 21 national-level manufacturing pilot platforms and 14 top-tier science and technology enterprise incubators have been selected. The second domestically built large cruise ship, "Ada Flower City," was successfully launched. In the first two months, the penetration rate of new passenger vehicles equipped with L2-level combined driving assistance functions reached 69%. Currently, industrial technological innovation is deepening, further unleashing growth potential.
The deep integration of the digital and real economies is a key driver of industrial transformation and upgrading. "Since the beginning of the year, we have made positive progress in advancing information and communication infrastructure construction, focusing on building a solid foundation for the digital and intelligent transformation of the economy and society," said Xie Cun, Director of the Information and Communication Development Department at MIIT. 5G and gigabit optical networks have been integrated into 91 out of 97 major national economic categories.
Furthermore, efforts continue to promote the large-scale development of "5G + Industrial Internet," with over 25,000 related projects cumulatively established. Some 1,260 categorized and distinctive 5G factories have been built, including 100 technologically advanced, benchmark-setting 5G factories. On average, these factories saw product quality improve by 20.5%, operational costs decrease by 18.4%, and production capacity increase by 24.7%.
Cultivating future industries is crucial for seizing technological and industrial high ground and gaining development initiative. Currently, China has deployed over 100 "unveiling and commanding" innovation tasks in key areas such as quantum technology and clean, low-carbon hydrogen. It has systematically established a number of manufacturing innovation centers and pilot platforms in key future industrial fields. The country has cultivated 509,000 high-tech enterprises, with 193 innovative industrial clusters gathering 54,000 innovative companies.
How can future industries be further propelled from the "laboratory" to the "mass market"? Zhang Yunming explained that efforts will focus on deploying research tasks aligned with actual industrial needs, strengthening the synergy between basic and applied research, promoting the construction of manufacturing innovation centers and pilot platforms, and coordinating the formulation of universal policies alongside targeted policies for specific sectors.
Services for enterprises are improving in quality and efficiency. Recent actions include a special campaign for talent services for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), intensified efforts to clear overdue payments to businesses, in-depth rectification of online misconduct in the automotive industry, continued capacity early-warning regulation and standardization of price competition, and a special initiative to empower SME development with accessible computing power.
Data from the first two months shows that profits of large-scale industrial enterprises grew 15.2% year-on-year, accelerating by 14.6 percentage points compared to last year. Competition order in sectors like new energy vehicles and photovoltaics continues to improve. Prices for products such as photovoltaic modules, lithium carbonate, and power-type lithium iron phosphate have generally rebounded.
SMEs are a vital force driving innovation, promoting employment, and improving livelihoods. "For high-quality development of SMEs, specializing and innovating is the essential path. We are accelerating the formation of a unified, well-sequenced, and precisely serviced gradient cultivation system for high-quality SMEs, and implemented the 'High-Quality SME Gradient Cultivation Management Measures' starting April 1st this year," said Tao Qing, Director of the Operation Monitoring and Coordination Bureau at MIIT.
Since the beginning of the year, the economic operation of SMEs has shown steady progress, with accelerated production and improved efficiency. In the first quarter, the value-added of specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises within large-scale industries increased by 10.2% year-on-year.
Tao Qing stated that future measures will include implementing a three-year action plan for the gradient cultivation of high-quality enterprises, supporting qualified regions in exploring the establishment of empowerment centers for specialized and innovative SMEs, releasing the "16th Five-Year Plan" for promoting SME development, establishing the second phase of the National SME Development Fund, and creating national SME public service demonstration platforms (bases).