Jiangmen connects production, innovation

Jiangmen in Guangdong province is set to anchor the development of new quality productive forces laid out in this year's Government Work Report by promoting the relationship between manufacturing and technological innovation, said Mayor Wu Xiaohui, who is also a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress.

The city has identified several industrial chains for development, such as next-generation information technology, new energy vehicles and intelligent equipment, Wu said in an interview in Beijing during the annual session of the country's national legislature.

Wu said the city government will support enterprises' technological transformations and digitalization initiatives, as well as help consolidate and enhance traditional industrial chains focused on sectors such as metal products, household appliances, paper products, motorcycles and textiles.

Such efforts echo the steps mapped out in the Government Work Report to advance the construction of a modern industrial system and accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, with the upgrading of industrial and supply chains, fostering of emerging industries and future-oriented industries, and expansion of the digital economy high on the agenda.

Jiangmen has nurtured several leading motorcycle enterprises and emerged as one of the key motorcycle manufacturing hubs in China. But the industry has encountered challenges in recent years due to urban restrictions on motorcycles and the rapid development of new energy vehicles, Wu said.

The city's motorcycle enterprises have weathered those headwinds by upgrading their technology and improving their products. The industry has achieved rapid growth in output value for three consecutive years, climbing 10.9 percent year-on-year to 28.4 billion yuan ($3.95 billion) last year, Wu said.

The city is now poised to expedite the construction of major innovation platforms, strengthen the research and development of key core technologies, and promote their industrial applications. Jiangmen will also support enterprises in tackling bottlenecks and accelerating innovation, Wu said.

It will foster the growth of large-scale enterprises, with a special focus on specialized and sophisticated firms that produce novel and unique products, to achieve significant increases in business quantity, as well as their output value and profits, Wu said.

The city will also implement routine services for the top 200 industrial enterprises and continue to prioritize the needs of small and micro-sized businesses through a responsive platform, Wu added.

Jiangmen's overseas Chinese, numbering 5.3 million and residing in 145 countries and regions, serve as a significant asset for the city's high-quality development. By harnessing the power of overseas Chinese, Jiangmen has attracted quality foreign investment, stimulated economic growth, and created a conducive environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, Wu said.