Local governments across China are intensifying their efforts ahead of 2026, the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Provinces and major cities have identified booming sectors, from artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robots to the low-altitude economy, as key development priorities.

Push industrial upgrading to build new engines of growth

Some provinces are focusing on developing new types of productive forces. These regions are exploring how to strengthen the foundation for high-quality development through breakthroughs in key technologies, reshaping industrial chains, and transforming production methods.

In East China, Zhejiang Province – a national hub for innovation and production – plans to prioritize the development of emerging pillar industries and accelerate the formation of industrial clusters in areas such as AI, aerospace, and the low-altitude economy.

As a major industrial base, Liaoning Province has proposed mobilizing provincial resources to advance its AI core industry, accelerate breakthroughs in industrial software innovation, and promote the intelligent transformation of all industrial elements.

Shanghai has outlined plans to establish a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing at its core, foster the high-quality and efficient development of the service sector, expand domestic demand, and cultivate world-class enterprises.

Strengthen connectivity to reshape regional advantages

In alignment with the national unified market and the new development paradigm, several provinces have planned to strengthen regional collaboration and expand their openness by constructing major transportation hubs, energy corridors, and digital infrastructure. These efforts is set to redefine their geographical advantages.

Tianjin has proposed to accelerate its development into a globally influential hub for aircraft, ships, and offshore equipment export leasing, while also establishing itself as a national center for commercial factoring.

Henan Province has proposed to upgrade its high-speed rail network, develop a freight rail system, expand airport capacity, establish a general aviation airport network, optimize the expressway network, and create a convenient multimodal transportation corridor in the central region.

Southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has proposed to build a high-level western land-sea new corridor, create an integrated "land, sea, air, and digital" interconnection network, and establish an international transportation corridor that is both smoothly connected domestically and internationally.

Green energy, green growth

Several provinces and cities are focusing on energy security and green transformation, exploring ways to convert green value into economic value.

Beijing has proposed to optimize its energy structure, reducing fossil fuel use, expanding renewable and clean energy, and improving the electrification level of terminal energy use and the green and low-carbon level of energy consumption

The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has proposed to optimize and strengthen industries such as new energy, rare earth, new chemical, semiconductor silicon-based materials, characteristic agriculture and animal husbandry, biomedicine, computing power, and low-altitude economy etc.

(Cover via VCG)