Why Emphasize High-Quality Development of the Industrial Chain

The 2025 Central Economic Work Conference explicitly proposed “implementing a new round of high-quality development actions for key industrial chains.” In fact, as early as the Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of 2023, a round of high-quality development actions for key industrial chains in the manufacturing sector was deployed, which was conducive to responding to the external impact of rising trade protectionism at that time, by breaking through key technologies and making up for shortcomings in manufacturing. So, how should we understand this latest deployment regarding the high-quality development of industrial chains? This requires interpreting three key terms, namely, understanding the core connotations of “key industries,” “chain,” and “high-quality development.”

2025年中央经济工作会议明确提出“实施新一轮重点产业链高质量发展行动”。其实，早在2023年底召开的中央经济工作会议就部署过一轮制造业重点产业链高质量发展行动，有利于应对当时贸易保护主义抬头的外部冲击，通过突破关键技术，补齐制造业短板。那么，如何理解此次关于产业链高质量发展的最新部署？这需要解读三个关键词，即理解“重点产业”“链”“高质量发展”的核心内涵。

“Key industries” are not a single sector, but an “industrial matrix” with advanced manufacturing as the backbone, strategic emerging industries and future industries as new engines, and promoting the renewal and upgrading of traditional industries. It mainly covers the following three aspects: First, advanced manufacturing related to industrial chain security, such as high-end equipment manufacturing, integrated circuits, new displays, and biomedicine. Second, strategic emerging industries and future industries, including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and the low-altitude economy. Third, traditional industries accelerating transformation and upgrading. Emphasizing “key industries” means adhering to the practical logic of “leading the overall situation through key breakthroughs,” concentrating high-quality resources such as policy, capital, and talent on key links to achieve systematic improvement.

“重点产业”并非单一行业，而是以先进制造业为骨干，以战略性新兴产业和未来产业为新引擎，并推动传统产业焕新升级的“产业矩阵”。主要涵盖以下三个方面：一是关系产业链安全的先进制造业，比如高端装备制造、集成电路、新型显示、生物医药等。二是战略性新兴产业和未来产业，包括人工智能、量子科技、低空经济等。三是加快转型升级的传统产业。强调“重点产业”，就是坚持“以关键突破引领全局”的实践逻辑，将政策、资本、人才等优质资源集中投向关键环节，实现系统性提升。

The so-called “chain” means that, unlike the solo breakthrough of a single industry, the emphasis is on the chain-like ecology of upstream and downstream coordination and overall advancement of the industrial chain. Highlighting the word “chain” is both to break the development model of “each fighting for itself,” with chain-leading enterprises as the core, promoting integrated innovation among large, medium, and small enterprises, and also to focus on the weak links of the industrial chain, striving to overcome “bottleneck” technical constraints, avoiding the risk of chain rupture. Only by building a closely collaborative industrial chain ecology, achieving resource sharing and complementary advantages, can the single-point advantages of key industries be upgraded to cluster advantages.

所谓“链”，意味着不同于一个产业的单兵突破，强调的是产业链上下游协同联动、整体推进的链式生态。突出“链”字，既是要打破“各自为战”的发展模式，以链主企业为核心，推动大中小企业融通创新，也是要聚焦产业链薄弱环节，努力攻克“卡脖子”技术瓶颈，避免出现断链风险。只有通过打造紧密协作的产业链生态，实现资源共享、优势互补，才能让重点产业的单点优势升级为集群优势。

Unlike the previous response to external impacts and making up for shortcomings, the new round of high-quality development actions for key industrial chains places more emphasis on enhancing the comprehensive competitiveness of industrial chains and cultivating new quality productive forces. After years of tackling key problems, breakthroughs have been made in many weak areas of China’s manufacturing sector. Industries such as new energy vehicles and photovoltaics have formed global advantages. The pattern of chain-leading enterprises driving upstream and downstream collaborative development has initially taken shape. The foundation has been laid for industrial development to shift from making up for shortcomings at single points to systematic upgrading. Therefore, high-quality development targets the directions of high-end, intelligent, and green development. That is, focusing on key industrial areas, deeply implementing the quality brand leap project, striving to cultivate a number of globally high-end brands with leading technology and strong competitiveness, enhancing the added value of the industrial chain and international discourse power; accelerating the promotion of “AI+,” building smart factories in industries such as automobiles, electronics, and machinery, empowering production process optimization and industrial chain coordination with intelligence; strictly implementing the carbon peak implementation plan in the industrial sector, establishing and promoting a carbon footprint tracking system in high-energy-consuming industries such as steel and chemicals, and strengthening carbon emission monitoring and management across the entire industrial chain.

不同于此前的应对外部冲击、补短板，新一轮重点产业链高质量发展行动，更侧重提升产业链综合竞争力，培育新质生产力。经过近年来的攻坚，我国制造业多个短板领域取得突破，新能源汽车、光伏等产业已形成全球优势，链主企业带动上下游协同发展的格局初步成型，产业发展已具备从单点补短板转向系统性升级的基础。因此，高质量发展瞄准的是高端化、智能化、绿色化方向。即聚焦重点产业领域，深入实施质量品牌跃升工程，着力培育一批技术领先、竞争力强的全球高端品牌，提升产业链附加值和国际话语权；加快推进“人工智能+”，在汽车、电子、机械等行业建设智能工厂，以智能化赋能生产流程优化和产业链协同；严格执行工业领域碳达峰实施方案，在钢铁、化工等高耗能行业建立并推广碳足迹追踪体系，强化全产业链碳排放监测和管理。

The “15th Five-Year Plan” proposal places “building a modern industrial system, consolidating and strengthening the foundation of the real economy” at the top of strategic tasks, which also means that transforming scientific and technological achievements into effective industrial development results and aggregating them into a chain-cluster scale effect is the top priority for the future. Currently, breakthroughs at the front end have accumulated a large number of patents, prototypes, and algorithms. However, if technology stops at papers and exhibits, it cannot form growth momentum. Only by putting achievements into production lines, turning them into commodities, and generating profits can we feed back into re-research and development. Whether this “technology-mass production-market” channel is smooth depends first on the quality of the industrial chain, that is, whether the links are complete, whether the supporting facilities are controllable, whether the standards are interoperable, and whether the processes are stable. Any shortcoming in any place may raise costs and amplify risks, locking innovative achievements in the laboratory. In this sense, developing a high-quality industrial chain is to build a safe, efficient, and low-cost transformation runway.

“十五五”规划建议把“建设现代化产业体系，巩固壮大实体经济根基”摆在战略任务的首位，也意味着把科技成果转化为有效的产业发展成果、集合成链群规模效应，是未来的重中之重。当前，前端突破已储备大量专利、样机与算法，但科技若止步于论文和展品，便无法形成增长动能。只有把成果放进产线、变成商品、产生利润，才能反哺再研发，而这条“科技—量产—市场”通道是否顺畅，首先取决于产业链质量，即环节是否齐全、配套是否可控、标准是否互通、工艺是否稳定。任何一处存在短板都可能抬高成本、放大风险，让创新成果被锁在实验室。从这个意义上说，高质量发展产业链就是打造一条安全、高效、低成本的转化跑道。

As far as the industrial chain itself is concerned, efforts should be closely focused on the “chain.” Among them, chain supplementation is equivalent to the “emergency surgery” of the industrial chain. It targets breakpoints caused by technological gaps, capacity shortages, or external supply disruptions. Through domestic substitution research, backup capacity deployment, and strategic reserve release, it first changes key components, key materials, and key software from “nonexistent” to “existing,” ensuring the entire production line does not stop and shipments are not interrupted, solving the problem of “having or not having.” Chain strengthening is equivalent to the “fitness plan” of the industrial chain. In links where a foundation exists but yield rates are low, costs are high, and consistency is poor, through process micro-improvements, equipment self-iteration, and standard redefinition, it upgrades from “usable” to “good to use,” making domestic substitutes globally competitive, achieving a leap from “able to produce” to “able to produce with precision.” Chain building is equivalent to the “new track entrepreneurship” of the industrial chain. Facing next-generation technologies and future products, it simultaneously lays out patents, standards, testing, production lines, supply chain finance, and other sectors from scratch, seizes the commanding heights, masters the discourse power of rules, and achieves a qualitative change from “following” to “leading.” Chain smoothing is equivalent to the “circulatory system dredging” of the industrial chain. It uses digital platforms to connect multi-dimensional elements such as logistics, warehousing, capital, data, and carbon footprints. With tools such as blockchain warehouse receipts, multimodal transport, and mutual recognition of rules, it transforms cross-regional bottlenecks into “one-stop customs clearance” nodes, making the entire industrial chain have low inventory, fast turnover, low risk, and high resilience, truly achieving “smooth blood circulation.” It should also be pointed out here that in the construction of industrial chains, local governments need to avoid the misunderstanding of blindly pursuing “large and complete” systems. Instead, they should carry out scientific planning from the perspective of a unified national market, shifting from a competitive logic to a collaborative logic, and promoting the formation of a reasonably distributed and complementary industrial layout.

就产业链本身而言，应该紧紧围绕“链”做文章、下功夫。其中，补链相当于产业链的“急救手术”。它瞄准因技术空白、产能缺失或外部断供导致的断点，通过国产化攻关、备用产能布点、战略储备投放，先把关键零部件、关键材料、关键软件从“无”变“有”，让整条产线不停摆、出货不断档，解决“有没有”的问题。强链相当于产业链的“健身计划”。在已具备基础但良品率低、成本高、一致性差的环节，通过工艺微改良、装备自迭代、标准再定义，把“能用”提升到“好用”，使国产替代具备全球竞争力，实现从“造得出”到“造得精”的跨越。建链相当于产业链的“新赛道创业”。面对下一代技术、未来产品，从零开始同步布局专利、标准、检测、产线、供应链金融等板块，抢占制高点，掌握规则话语权，实现从“跟跑”到“领跑”的质变。畅链相当于产业链的“循环系统疏通”。用数字化平台串起物流、仓储、资金、数据、碳足迹等多维要素，借助区块链仓单、多式联运、规则互认等工具，将跨区域的堵点转化为“一站通关”的节点，让整个产业链库存低、周转快、风险小、韧性高，真正实现“血脉通达”。这里还要指出的是，在产业链建设方面，地方政府需要避免盲目追求“大而全”的误区，而应从全国统一大市场的视角进行科学规划，从竞争逻辑转向协同逻辑，推动形成合理分布、优势互补的产业布局。

In practice, the specific implementation of the new round of high-quality development actions for key industrial chains should also focus on systematic advancement in key technological breakthroughs, innovation coordination, and ecological optimization. First, precisely tackle weak links. Draw risk maps for key industrial chains, improve cross-departmental coordination mechanisms, dynamically update the list of key core technologies to be tackled, and promote technological breakthroughs through mechanisms such as “open competition to select the best candidates” and “horse racing.” Promote new models such as “use first, pay later,” and focus on building concept verification platforms to provide feasibility assessment and services for early-stage technologies. Second, deepen regional innovation coordination. Build international science and technology innovation centers in Beijing (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei), Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta), and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and promote the joint cultivation of strategic scientific and technological forces and industrial clusters. Formulate regional collaborative innovation plans, launch practical measures around major task deployments and system reform pilot projects, and promote the cross-regional flow and efficient allocation of innovation resources. Third, optimize the factor support system. Leverage the demonstration and leading role of major economic provinces and advanced regions, and strengthen classified guidance tailored to local conditions. Promote relevant institutions to increase financial support for weak areas of the industrial chain such as basic components, basic materials, and basic software, improve the intellectual property protection system in emerging fields, and innovate the development model of technology finance.

在实践中，具体实施新一轮重点产业链高质量发展行动，还应聚焦关键技术突破、创新协同、生态优化等系统推进。一是精准攻坚薄弱环节。绘制重点产业链风险图谱，健全跨部门协调机制，动态更新关键核心技术攻关清单，通过“揭榜挂帅”“赛马”等机制推动技术突破。推行“先使用后付费”等新模式，重点建设概念验证平台，为早期技术提供可行性评估和服务。二是深化区域创新协同。建设北京（京津冀）、上海（长三角）、粤港澳大湾区国际科技创新中心，推动战略科技力量布局与产业集群联合培育。制定区域协同创新方案，围绕重大任务部署、体制改革试点推出务实举措，促进创新资源跨区域流动和高效配置。三是优化要素支持体系。发挥经济大省和先进地区的示范带动作用，因地制宜强化分类指导。推动相关机构加大对基础零部件、基础材料、基础软件等产业链薄弱领域的金融支持，完善新兴领域知识产权保护制度，创新科技金融发展模式。

[The author is a researcher at the Hunan Provincial Research Center for Contemporary Chinese Marxism and Director of the Institute of Industrial Economics at the Hunan Academy of Social Sciences (Development Research Center of Hunan Provincial People’s Government).]

【作者系湖南省当代中国马克思主义研究中心研究员、湖南省社会科学院（湖南省人民政府发展研究中心）产业经济研究所所长】

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧