During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), China has intensified efforts to tackle key core technologies and apply research outcomes, leveraging innovation to lead the development of new quality productive forces. These efforts have yielded tangible results in upgrading traditional industries, boosting emerging sectors, and laying a solid foundation for future industries, said Yin Hejun, Minister of Science and Technology, at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on Thursday.

Innovation drives industrial transformation

In high-end equipment, the "Jinghua" tunnel boring machine, with a 16.07-meter excavation diameter, set a new record by advancing 542 meters in a single month while achieving non-disruptive tunneling beneath urban infrastructure.

China's first domestically designed and built  first domestically designed and built deep-ocean drilling vessel, the "Mengxiang" (Dream), was officially commissioned on November 17,2024. Equipped with an internationally advanced drilling system, it is designed for a maximum drilling depth of 11,000 meters.

In advanced manufacturing, China now leads the world in the number of "Lighthouse Factories," leading manufacturers recognized by the World Economic Forum, accounting for over 40 percent of the global total. It has also successfully developed a world-leading robotic transportation and loading system for large open-pit mines, achieving large-scale deployment with hundreds of units in individual mines and a total of over 3,000 units across multiple sites.

Emerging industries gain momentum

Yin stressed that innovation in fields such as AI, the Internet of Things and big data has enabled traditional industries to become high-end, intelligent and green. Innovation in sectors such as new-generation information technology and new energy has also aided the development and growth of emerging industries.

There have been major technological breakthroughs in fields such as next-generation information technology and new energy. With approximately 4.6 million 5G base stations, China maintains global leadership in both 5G technology and user scale, accelerating digital transformation across industries.

In the new energy sector, China has repeatedly broken its own world records for photovoltaic crystalline silicon cell efficiency and single-unit offshore wind turbine capacity.

According to official data, the world's highest-capacity offshore wind turbine is currently the 26-megawatt unit that was installed off the coast of east China's Shandong province in late August. With an average annual wind speed of 10 meters per second, a single unit can generate 100 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity every year.

Cumulative sales of new energy vehicles in China have surpassed 40 million units, with production and sales ranking first globally for 10 consecutive years.

Future industries taking shape

China is proactively shaping future industries by investing in cutting-edge technologies. In AI, several domestically developed large language models have achieved internationally advanced levels, with some boasting accuracy rates exceeding 95 percent. Over 100 benchmark application scenarios for artificial intelligence have been created.

Humanoid robots are making strides in integration with embodied intelligence. Key technologies such as multimodal perception and brain-inspired computing have advanced, facilitating applications in automobile manufacturing, logistics handling, and power grid inspection, laying the groundwork for a trillion-yuan-scale industry.

Moreover, clinical applications have enabled paralyzed patients to stand and walk and restored light perception in blind individuals. Domestically developed brain pacemakers have been fully commercialized and implanted in over 30,000 Parkinson’s patients across 400 hospitals in eight countries, emerging as a new engine for high-quality development for people’s health.

Expanding global sci-tech cooperation

China has established scientific and technological cooperation relationships with more than 160 countries and regions, signed 119 intergovernmental sci-tech cooperation agreements, and joined over 200 international organizations and multilateral mechanisms, Yin said.

It has advanced initiatives in international mega-science programs, including the Deep-time Digital Earth project, and participated in other such global collaborations.

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, China has jointly established more than 70 Belt and Road joint laboratories with nearly 50 partner countries and launched 10 international technology transfer platforms serving regions including ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America.

"China's door to technological collaboration will open even wider," Yin emphasized, reaffirming the country’s commitment to expanding international sci-tech exchanges and contributing Chinese wisdom to global scientific progress.