The Relationship between Cultivating New Drivers and Upgrading Old Drivers Must Be Coordinated as a Whole

The 2024 Central Economic Work Conference[1]1 The Central Economic Work Conference is an annual high-level meeting convened by the CPC Central Committee to set economic priorities for the following year. emphasized continuously deepening the understanding of the law-like nature of economic work and put forward the “five must-coordinate”[2]2 “Five must-coordinate” refers to the five pairs of relationships that must be balanced in economic work, as emphasized at the 2024 Central Economic Work Conference., one of which is “the relationship between cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers must be coordinated as a whole, developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions.” China’s different regions differ greatly in geographical features, resource endowments, industrial bases, and actual demands. It is necessary to proceed from their respective realities, leverage comparative advantages, precisely identify the breakthroughs and focal points for cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers, develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, and promote a smooth and orderly transition between new and old drivers, so as to provide sustained impetus for high-quality development.

2024年中央经济工作会议强调不断深化对经济工作的规律性认识，并提出“五个必须统筹”，其中之一是“必须统筹好培育新动能和更新旧动能的关系，因地制宜发展新质生产力”。我国不同地区地理特征、资源禀赋、产业基础及现实诉求差异较大，需要从各自实际出发，发挥比较优势，精准探寻培育新动能和更新旧动能的突破口和着力点，因地制宜发展新质生产力，推动新旧动能平稳接续转换，才能为高质量发展提供持续动力。

Achieving High-Quality Development in the Process of Cultivating New Drivers and Upgrading Old Drivers

在培育新动能和更新旧动能的过程中实现高质量发展

Cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers are mutually reinforcing processes. Only through their interconnection and mutual promotion can the economy achieve sustainable development.

培育新动能和更新旧动能是一个相互促进的过程，在二者的相互衔接和相互促进中，经济才能够实现可持续发展。

Coordinating the relationship between cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers is an important measure for promoting high-quality economic development. Cultivating new drivers is often accompanied by the rise of new industries, new business formats, and new models, while upgrading old drivers often involves using new technologies to transform and upgrade traditional industries. These are all important components of high-quality economic development. Especially when old drivers face challenges such as shrinking market demand and technological backwardness, the principle of “first establish before breaking”[3]3 “First establish before breaking” is a principle that calls for ensuring the new is in place before phasing out the old, to avoid disruption. should be adhered to: on the one hand, accelerate the cultivation and expansion of new drivers; on the other hand, accelerate the upgrading of old drivers, and strive to keep economic operation within a reasonable range. This is key to promoting effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity.

统筹好培育新动能和更新旧动能的关系，是推动经济高质量发展的重要举措。培育新动能往往伴随新产业、新业态、新模式的崛起，更新旧动能往往伴随使用新技术改造提升传统产业，这些都是经济高质量发展的重要内容。尤其是当旧动能面临市场需求萎缩、技术落后等挑战时，应坚持先立后破，一方面加快培育壮大新动能，另一方面加快更新旧动能，着力保持经济运行在合理区间，这是推动经济实现质的有效提升和量的合理增长的关键。

Coordinating the relationship between cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers is an inevitable requirement for developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions. Developing new quality productive forces requires leveraging the comparative advantages of various regions and, in the process of coordinating the cultivation of new drivers and upgrading of old drivers, achieving a qualitative leap in the state of productive forces. For example, regions with abundant scientific and technological resources and a concentration of talent can focus on cultivating high-tech industries and modern service industries, driving economic development toward innovation-driven growth; regions with advantages in tourism resources can develop cultural tourism, eco-tourism, and other industries, raise the quality and level of tourism services, and enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of the regional economy. In the process of cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers, different regions should strive for complementary cooperation and promote coordinated development.

统筹好培育新动能和更新旧动能的关系，是因地制宜发展新质生产力的必然要求。发展新质生产力，需要发挥各地区比较优势，在统筹好培育新动能和更新旧动能的过程中，实现生产力的质态跃升。例如，一些科技资源丰富、人才集聚的地区，可以重点培育高新技术产业和现代服务业，推动经济向创新驱动发展；一些具有旅游资源优势的地区，可以通过发展文化旅游、生态旅游等产业，提升旅游服务的质量和水平，增强区域经济吸引力和竞争力。在培育新动能和更新旧动能的过程中，不同地区之间应力求实现互补合作，促进协同发展。

Coordinating the relationship between cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers is an important focal point for promoting economic structural optimization and upgrading. First, it can promote the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure. By cultivating new drivers and developing emerging industries such as high-tech industries and modern service industries, the share of emerging industries in the economy can be increased, pushing industries toward high-end, intelligent, and green development; by upgrading old drivers and promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, increasing the added value and technological content of traditional industries, the industrial structure can be rationalized and upgraded. Second, it can promote coordinated development between regions and between urban and rural areas. Relatively developed regions or cities can further consolidate and enhance their economic strength and competitiveness by cultivating new drivers, better playing a radiating and driving role; underdeveloped regions or rural areas can improve the competitiveness of traditional industries, accelerate the pace of economic development, and ultimately narrow regional and urban-rural gaps by upgrading old drivers.

统筹好培育新动能和更新旧动能的关系，是推动经济结构优化升级的重要着力点。一是能够促进产业结构的优化升级。通过培育新动能，发展高新技术产业、现代服务业等新兴产业，可以提高新兴产业在经济中的比重，推动产业向高端化、智能化、绿色化方向发展；通过更新旧动能，推动传统产业改造升级，提高传统产业的附加值和技术含量，可以促进产业结构合理化和高级化。二是能够促进区域和城乡协调发展。经济相对发达的地区或城镇可以通过培育新动能，进一步巩固和提升经济实力和竞争力，更好地发挥辐射带动作用；经济欠发达的地区或乡村可以通过更新旧动能，提高传统产业竞争力，加快经济发展步伐，最终缩小区域和城乡差距。

Synergistically Promoting the Cultivation of New Drivers and the Upgrading of Old Drivers

协同推进培育新动能和更新旧动能

To coordinate the relationship between cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers and develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, it is necessary to insist on synergistic efforts in cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers, preventing prolonged development pains caused by poor transition between new and old drivers. To coordinate the relationship between cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers, the “dual-wheel drive”[4]4 “Dual-wheel drive” is a metaphor for simultaneously promoting both new and old growth drivers. must be upheld: both cultivating and expanding emerging industries and future industries, and accelerating the use of advanced and cutting-edge technologies to transform and upgrade traditional industries, ensuring the smooth transition, transformation, and upgrading of old drivers.

统筹好培育新动能和更新旧动能的关系，因地制宜发展新质生产力，必须坚持培育新动能和更新旧动能协同发力，防止新旧动能接续不畅导致较长时期的发展阵痛。统筹好培育新动能和更新旧动能的关系，必须坚持“双轮驱动”，既要培育壮大新兴产业和未来产业，也要加快运用先进技术和前沿技术改造提升传统产业，确保旧动能的平稳过渡和转型升级。

Synergistically increase policy support for both cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers. Through fiscal subsidies, tax incentives, special fund support, and other means, increase support for cultivating new drivers, reduce enterprise R&D and innovation costs, and accelerate the R&D and industrialization of new technologies and new products. Provide certain fiscal support for the transformation and upgrading of old drivers to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. Guide financial institutions to increase credit support for the development of new drivers and the transformation and upgrading of old drivers, providing sufficient funding guarantees for the cultivation of new drivers and the upgrading of old drivers. Formulate and implement industrial policies conducive to the cultivation of new drivers and the upgrading of old drivers, such as industrial layout planning, industrial access standards, and industrial support policies, to promote the rational layout and coordinated development of industries.

协同加大对培育新动能和更新旧动能的政策支持。通过财政补贴、税收优惠、专项资金支持等方式，加大对新动能的培育力度，降低企业研发和创新成本，加快新技术、新产品的研发和产业化进程。对旧动能的转型升级给予一定财政支持，促进传统产业改造升级。引导金融机构加大对发展新动能和旧动能转型升级的信贷支持力度，为新动能的培育和旧动能的更新提供充足资金保障。制定和实施有利于新动能培育和旧动能更新的产业政策，如产业布局规划、产业准入标准、产业扶持政策等，促进产业的合理布局和协调发展。

Synergistically promote the upgrading of traditional industries, the development of emerging industries, and the cultivation of future industries. Through technological transformation, equipment renewal, process improvement, and other means, promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, improve their production efficiency, product quality, and added value, and encourage traditional industries to adopt advanced information technology, automation technology, green manufacturing technology, etc., to achieve high-end, intelligent, and green development, and enhance the competitiveness and sustainable development capacity of traditional industries. Increase support for emerging industries, promote the development and growth of new-generation information technology, new energy, new materials, high-end equipment, new energy vehicles, green environmental protection, civil aviation, ship and marine engineering equipment, etc., and strengthen the construction of new infrastructure such as 5G networks, data centers, and charging piles, providing good basic conditions for the development of emerging industries. Encourage the integrated development of emerging industries and traditional industries, forming new industrial ecologies and value chains. Focus on key areas of future industries, such as the metaverse, brain-computer interfaces, quantum information, humanoid robots, generative artificial intelligence, biomaturfacturing, future displays, future networks, and new energy storage, and carry out “open competition to select the best candidates”[5]5 “Open competition to select the best candidates” (揭榜挂帅) is a mechanism where innovation projects are publicly announced and the best applicants are selected to lead them. for innovation tasks, encouraging enterprises and research institutions to actively participate in technological innovation, guiding leading sci-tech enterprises to prospectively plan new tracks, and cultivating new entities for future industries through internal entrepreneurship, investment incubation, etc.

协同推动传统产业升级、新兴产业发展和未来产业培育。通过技术改造、设备更新、工艺改进等方式，推动传统产业改造升级，提高传统产业的生产效率、产品质量和附加值，鼓励传统产业采用先进的信息技术、自动化技术、绿色制造技术等，实现高端化、智能化、绿色化发展，增强传统产业的竞争力和可持续发展能力。加大对新兴产业支持力度，推动新一代信息技术、新能源、新材料、高端装备、新能源汽车、绿色环保、民用航空、船舶与海洋工程装备等的发展壮大，加强新型基础设施如5G网络、数据中心、充电桩等的建设，为新兴产业发展提供良好基础条件。鼓励新兴产业与传统产业融合发展，形成新的产业生态和价值链。围绕未来产业的重点领域，如元宇宙、脑机接口、量子信息、人形机器人、生成式人工智能、生物制造、未来显示、未来网络、新型储能等，开展创新任务“揭榜挂帅”，鼓励企业和科研机构积极参与技术创新，引导科技领军企业前瞻谋划新赛道，通过内部创业、投资孵化等培育未来产业新主体。

Promoting a Sustained Increase in the Proportion of New Drivers

促进新动能占比持续提高

The sustained enhancement of new drivers is the core driving force for promoting high-quality economic development. To coordinate the relationship between cultivating new drivers and upgrading old drivers, it is necessary to accelerate the cultivation and expansion of new development drivers and promote a sustained increase in the proportion of new drivers.

新动能持续增强是推动经济高质量发展的核心动力。统筹好培育新动能和更新旧动能的关系，必须加快培育壮大发展新动能，促进新动能占比持续提高。

Cultivate “new-quality-leading” new drivers. “New-quality-leading” new drivers focus on the supply side and refer to new drivers driven by new technological revolutions and new quality productive forces. Combining the frontiers of scientific and technological development with China’s economic reality, the current focus should be on cultivating and expanding “new-quality-leading” new drivers in the following areas: new drivers in the digital economy driven by digital and intelligent technologies such as general artificial intelligence, the industrial internet, and the Internet of Things; new energy new drivers centered on the manufacturing of photovoltaic equipment and wind power equipment; new energy vehicle new drivers centered on the manufacturing of electric vehicles and power batteries; biomedical new drivers centered on the integration of modern biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry; high-end equipment manufacturing new drivers driven by frontier manufacturing technologies such as smart manufacturing and additive manufacturing; and future industry new drivers driven by future technologies such as quantum computing and 6G.

培育“新质引领型”新动能。“新质引领型”新动能侧重于供给领域，是指由新技术革命和新质生产力驱动的新动能。结合科技发展前沿和我国经济现实，当前应主要围绕以下领域培育壮大“新质引领型”新动能：以通用人工智能、工业互联网、物联网等数智技术驱动的数字经济新动能，以光伏设备、风电设备制造为主体的新能源新动能，以电动车、动力电池制造等为主体的新能源汽车新动能，以现代生物技术与医药产业融合为主体的生物医药新动能，以智能制造、增材制造等前沿制造技术驱动的高端装备制造新动能，以量子计算、6G等未来科技驱动的未来产业新动能。

Unleash “demand-upgrading” new drivers. “Demand-upgrading” new drivers focus on the demand side and refer to new drivers driven by the upgrading and expansion of demand in traditional areas. Insufficient effective demand is the main reason constraining the smooth circulation of the national economy. After years of development, the main problem addressed by China’s strategy of expanding domestic demand at the current stage has shifted from “from nothing to something” to giving equal weight to “from nothing to something” and “from something to excellence,” paying attention to both quantitative growth and coverage expansion and, even more, to quality improvement. To this end, the following aspects can be focused on to cultivate and unleash “demand-upgrading” new drivers: increase the proportion of residents’ disposable income in GDP, improve the social security system, raise residents’ consumption capacity and willingness, expand effective demand, and promote the expansion and quality improvement of the consumer market; increase investment in making up for shortcomings in the field of people’s livelihoods, expand the supply of basic public services in areas such as medical care, elderly care, and childcare, and improve the quality of public services; further improve traditional infrastructure such as transportation and logistics, electric power, water conservancy, disaster prevention and mitigation, and urban renewal, and accelerate the construction of new infrastructure such as computing power, the Internet of Things, the industrial internet, satellite internet, and new-generation mobile communications.

释放“需求升级型”新动能。“需求升级型”新动能侧重于需求导向，指传统领域的需求提质扩容所带动的新动能。有效需求不足是制约国民经济循环畅通的主要原因。经过多年发展，现阶段我国扩大内需战略解决的主要问题已从“从无到有”，转向“从无到有”和“从有到优”并重，既重视数量增长和覆盖面扩大，更重视品质提升。为此，可重点从以下方面培育释放“需求升级型”新动能：提高居民可支配收入占GDP比重，完善社会保障体系，提高居民消费能力和消费意愿，扩大有效需求，促进消费市场扩容提质；加大民生领域补短板投入力度，在医疗、养老、托幼等领域扩大基本公共服务供给，提升公共服务品质；进一步完善交通物流、电力、水利、防灾减灾、城市更新等传统基础设施，加快建设算力、物联网、工业互联网、卫星互联网、新一代移动通信等新型基础设施。

Activate “structure-optimizing” new drivers. Economic growth is manifested not only in expansion at the aggregate level but also in optimization at the structural level. “Structure-optimizing” new drivers focus on the structure orientation and refer to new drivers released through structural adjustment, structural optimization, and structural transformation and upgrading in response to prominent structural problems in economic operation. After the slowdown in the expansion of aggregate economic volume, the importance of “structure-optimizing” new drivers for economic development becomes more prominent. At the current stage, efforts should focus on the following focal points to activate “structure-optimizing” new drivers: deepen market-based reforms of factors, optimize the structure of factor allocation, and more fully unleash the combined potential of various factors such as labor, capital, technology, and data; accelerate the integration of urban and rural areas, and promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas; promote coordinated regional development, guide a more rational concentration and distribution of population and industries across regions, promote the formation of a unified national market with complementary advantages, high quality, and high efficiency, and activate new drivers for coordinated regional development; promote the integrated development of agriculture, manufacturing, and service industries, and activate new drivers for integrated industrial development by improving the supporting system for producer services to promote agricultural modernization and enhance the advantages of manufacturing.

激活“结构优化型”新动能。经济增长不仅表现为总量层面的扩张，也表现为结构层面的优化。“结构优化型”新动能侧重于结构导向，是指针对经济运行中存在的突出结构性问题，通过结构调整、结构优化、结构转型升级释放新动能。在经济总量扩张速度放缓之后，“结构优化型”新动能对经济发展的重要性更为凸显。现阶段，应重点围绕以下着力点激活“结构优化型”新动能：深化要素市场化改革，优化要素配置结构，更加充分地发挥劳动、资本、技术、数据等各类要素的组合潜能；加快推进城乡融合，促进城乡一体化发展；促进区域协调发展，引导人口和产业在区域间更为合理地聚集和分布，促进形成优势互补、高质高效的全国统一大市场，激活区域协调发展新动能；促进农业、制造业和服务业融合发展，通过完善生产性服务业配套体系来促进农业现代化、提升制造业优势，激活产业融合发展新动能。

Tap “opening-up” new drivers. “Opening-up” new drivers refer to new drivers released in the process of advancing high-standard opening up. At present, the focus should be on tapping “opening-up” new drivers in the following areas: expand the opening up of the service sector, vigorously promote service enterprises such as cross-border e-commerce and tourism and catering to enter the international market, and activate the development drivers of service sector opening; advance institutional opening up, align with international rules by optimizing the business environment, use institutional opening up to guide market expectations, create an open, smooth, and stable institutional environment, reduce cross-border transaction costs, and release institutional dividends; deepen international production capacity cooperation, strengthen the global layout of resource and energy supply chains, technology and talent, brand and marketing systems, enhance international operation capabilities, integrate more deeply into the global industrial division of labor system, and seek a more favorable position in the global value chain; and jointly build the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to the stability of the world economy.

挖掘“对外开放型”新动能。“对外开放型”新动能，是指在推进高水平对外开放过程中释放的新动能。当前应重点从以下方面挖掘“对外开放型”新动能：扩大服务业开放，大力推动跨境电子商务、旅游餐饮等服务业企业走向国际市场，激活服务业开放发展动能；推进制度型开放，通过优化营商环境对接国际规则，以制度型开放引导市场预期，营造开放、畅通、稳定的制度环境，降低跨境交易成本，释放制度红利；深化国际产能合作，加强资源能源供应链、技术与人才、品牌与营销体系的全球布局，增强国际化运营能力，更深度地融入全球产业分工体系，在全球价值链中谋求更有利的位置；高质量共建“一带一路”，为世界经济稳定贡献中国智慧和中国力量。

(Author: Li Xuesong, Researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Director of the Institute of Economics)

（作者：李雪松，系中国社会科学院习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心研究员、经济研究所所长）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧