China Focus: Northeast China explores high-quality development with fresh revitalization efforts

CHANGCHUN -- Walking into a factory operated by Hongxiang Seed Industry in Northeast China's Jilin province, one finds a busy scene set to the loud music of the machines roasting, threshing and screening corns to produce seeds.

"We are building new production lines, and our annual processing capacity could grow from 30 million kg to more than 50 million kg," said He Wei, the company's general manager.

Back in 2012, Hongxiang only had two corn varieties. With the support of the local government, it began cooperating on breeding with research institutes and it now has more than 100 corn varieties, which are gaining popularity across the country.

Once the heartland of the nation's heavy industry, Northeast China has long been afflicted by industrial overcapacity, shrinking resources and an outflow of talent. But the development of its seed industry is a microcosm of the revitalization and high-quality development in the region, including the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning.

During the first half of this year, the overall economic performance of the three provinces was remarkable. Jilin's GDP growth rate hit 7.7 percent over the period, ranking fourth in the country, and Liaoning's stood at 5.6 percent, which was higher than the national average.

The economic growth of northeast China between January and June this year was the result of the upgrading of traditional manufacturing and the strong development momentum in the emerging manufacturing sector, said Zhao Xinyu, deputy director of the China Center for Public Sector Economy Research at Jilin University.

At a smart factory owned by China's leading automaker FAW Group Co Ltd, over 100 automated guided vehicles shuttle back and forth, while vision-guided robots apply silicone sealants to car windows, just as might be seen in a sci-fi movie.

An unlikely scene in the past, this is now a common sight at the FAW Jiefang J7 complete-vehicle smart factory in Changchun city, the capital of Jilin province.

At FAW's final assembly factory, an intelligent digital platform can detect problems in any equipment to which it is connected, reducing labor and improving efficiency.

"It is not only a manufacturing factory but also a digital platform," said Xiu Junyi, deputy general manager of the Hongqi manufacturing center, adding that through big data technology, every detail in the factory can be "moved" to its digital twin factory, which will provide support for R&D and innovation.

In Heilongjiang, high-tech manufacturing has seen rapid development, thanks to a focus on innovation and new technologies.

The added value of the high-tech manufacturing industry in Heilongjiang grew by 24.6 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2023, according to the provincial statistics bureau.

Harbin Electric Corporation, for example, now uses a range of high-tech automatic equipment, including robotic laminating workstations, welding workstations and industrial manipulators.

"Our robotic lamination workstation can replace the heavy, repetitive workloads of five to six people, and it only requires one person to operate it," said Wei Fangkai, deputy manager of the corporation's intelligent manufacturing process department.

"These pieces of equipment have improved the efficiency and quality of our products while reducing production costs," Wei said.

Northeast China has a solid industrial and scientific research foundation, and is now shifting from traditional and modern industrialization to new industrialization. Li Zheng, dean of the School of Economics at Liaoning University, thinks new breakthroughs will be made in the comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

"Meanwhile, Northeast China is continuously optimizing its institutions, mechanisms and business environment, which will stimulate further the vitality of market entities and the potential for social creation," Li added.