Nation to take steps to steady industrial growth

Editor's Note: Three ministers meet the media at the "Ministers' Passage" after the opening session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sunday.

China will take more steps to stabilize industrial growth with a focus on key industries and areas, and the country has full confidence in the steady recovery of its industrial economy, the top industry regulator said on Sunday.

Jin Zhuanglong, minister of industry and information technology, said more efforts will be made to bolster growth in major sectors, such as electronics, automobiles, iron and steel, nonferrous metals and petrochemicals, and investment in the manufacturing sector will be ramped up in the future.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of this year's two sessions, calling for a greater push to expand consumption of big-ticket items such as new energy vehicles, and to promote consumer spending on intelligent home appliances in rural areas of the country.

Jin said China will make more efforts to speed up the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, which play a vital role in building a modern industrial system, and move the manufacturing sector toward higher-end, smarter and greener production.

China's industrial output, a key economic indicator, rose 3.6 percent year-on-year in 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Moreover, China will accelerate the construction of 5G networks, expand the application of 5G technology in more fields like manufacturing, and promote the research and development of 6G, Jin said.

"China is at the global forefront of 5G development. The country has built more than 2.54 million 5G base stations, with the number of 5G smartphone users surpassing 575 million," Jin said, adding China will build 600,000 5G base stations this year.

China has already established the IMT-2030 (6G) Promotion Group, the flagship platform in China that promotes 6G and international cooperation, and will speed up the R&D of 6G technology, he added.

fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn