China's top industry regulator unveils extensive plan to foster emerging, future industries

China's top industry regulator has outlined a comprehensive strategy to foster emerging and future industries while consolidating the steady advancement of its industrial economy for 2026.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said at its annual national work conference held in Beijing from Thursday to Friday that 2026 will be a crucial year for achieving a strong start to the country's 15th Five-Year Plan. Ten priority tasks were highlighted, with a sharp focus on cultivating new growth engines and upgrading the industrial ecosystem.

Key sectors identified for strategic development include integrated circuits, new displays, advanced materials, aerospace, low-altitude economy, and biomedicine — all designated as emerging pillar industries. The plan also reinforces support for breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and the orderly commercialization of new services such as satellite internet of things.

To accelerate industrial innovation, China will launch its first batch of national demonstration bases for emerging industries and build a series of innovative industrial clusters. In future-oriented fields, top-talent programs will be promoted to tackle key challenges in segmented sectors, while policies for embodied AI and the metaverse will be refined. Additionally, research and development in 6G technology will be strengthened, the conference said.

Amid global economic uncertainties, China's industrial sector has demonstrated notable resilience and vitality, achieving both qualitative progress and reasonable quantitative growth. It is estimated that in 2025, China's telecommunications services and software business revenue grow by about 9 percent and 12 percent year-on-year, respectively, while revenue from digital industries is also estimated to rise by about 9 percent.