China to step up sci-tech supply for future industries: minister

China will proceed to strengthen sci-tech supply for its future industries and drive breakthroughs in vital applied sciences, mentioned Li Lecheng, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, on the ongoing China Development Forum in Beijing on Sunday.

Addressing the discussion board, Li mentioned that the event of future industries shouldn’t be a “solo performance” by any single nation however reasonably a “symphony” of world innovation cooperation. He famous that China is sharing technological innovation achievements with different international locations around the globe to collectively promote the expansion of future industries for the advantage of all humanity, whereas multinational enterprises are more and more integrating into this evolving panorama with a extra proactive stance.

During the interval of the fifteenth Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for nationwide socioeconomic growth, China goals to speed up revolutionary growth of future industries. The authorities plans to coordinate and advance in an orderly method the development of pilot zones for future industries, guiding native areas to leverage their comparative benefits for differentiated growth. A key focus can be positioned on enhancing technological supply by cultivating main science and expertise enterprises with core aggressive benefits and robust innovation capabilities, aiming to create a batch of latest tracks with worldwide affect.

“We will make systematic arrangements for original and pioneering research and development to tackle hard technological problems, with a focus on sectors including quantum technology, bio-manufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interface, embodied intelligence and 6G, in efforts to actively integrate into the global innovation network,” Li mentioned.

Themed “China in its 15th Five-Year Plan period: advancing high-quality development and creating new opportunities together”, the two-day 2026 China Development Forum kicked off on Sunday in Beijing, bringing collectively world enterprise leaders, famend students and representatives from worldwide organizations to discover shared alternatives arising from China’s high-quality growth.

Since its inception in 2000, the discussion board has established itself as a key high-level platform for dialogue between Chinese authorities officers, world enterprise elites, worldwide organizations and students.

China performs an important function within the wave of synthetic intelligence (AI) and the event of future industries, mentioned authorities officers and enterprise leaders attending the China Development Forum 2026 that opened in Beijing on Sunday.

Speaking on the Symposium on Technological Innovation and Future Industry Development, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Lecheng mentioned China will speed up the revolutionary growth of industries of the future.

“Centering around key areas like artificial general intelligence, quantum sci-tech, and clean, low-carbon hydrogen, we have deployed over 100 innovative research projects of future industries, unveiled the list and appointed leaders for these projects. We will continue to leverage the principal role of enterprises, vigorously nurturing leading technology enterprises and high-tech enterprises that lead in core technologies and possess strong innovation capabilities to drive the industries to advance towards cutting-edge and high-end fields,” Li mentioned.

From quantum expertise to 6G, China is sharing its sci-tech achievements with international locations around the globe, working collectively to promote the event of future industries.

Business leaders from internationally mentioned China is main the breakthrough in AI applied sciences and can be fertile floor for the expansion of future industries.

“From new energy, electric vehicles and high-end manufacturing to breakthroughs in robotics and artificial intelligence, China is at the best moment to share the fruits of sci-tech development with the world. In 2025, downloads of open-source (AI) models from China led the world, allowing global developers to freely access, fine-tune, and deploy these powerful models, truly making smart technologies a public good for all humanity,” mentioned Joseph Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba Group.

“China’s complete industrial ecosystem will be fertile ground for the growth of future industries. Take embodied AI robots for example, their development relies not only on breakthroughs in intelligent algorithms but also on supporting components like precision transmission and execution parts like reducers and servo motors. A rich diversity of innovation pathways, a complete industrial system, and robust industrial supporting capabilities will be the fertile ground for the development of future industries,” mentioned Lei Jun, founder and chairman of Xiaomi Group.

“Not only manufacturing. So it’s AI plus in every space, in every sector, in every industry. For us, we are the company in the world that powers AI in supplying energy systems to AI factories across the world. And therefore for us, the challenge is to make sure that we go fast enough, strong enough to support all the computing that is used by Chinese companies or by Chinese stakeholders,” mentioned Jean-Pascal Tricoire, chairman of Schneider Electric.

“Brain-computer interfaces have been listed as one of the six major future industries in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period this year. We are now fully leveraging AI technologies to decode information within the brain, using this capability to better address many issues related to brain diseases. This enables people with disabilities who have lost hands or feet to control prosthetic limbs with their thoughts, allowing them to regain their normal daily life,” mentioned Han Bicheng, founding father of BrainCo, a Chinese neurotech firm.

The two-day China Development Forum 2026 is themed on “China in Its 15th Five-Year Plan Period: Advancing High-Quality Development and Creating New Opportunities Together.”