Editor's note: China is not one innovation story but many – emerging from local areas across the nation. In the China's Tech Mosaic series, we bring you those stories as pieces of a larger mosaic that, when put together, reveal the full picture of a country on the move. This story was first posted by the Fujian International Communication Center.

Fujian Province in southeast China is accelerating its push toward innovation-driven development, in line with the national strategy of achieving greater self-reliance in science and technology. Guided by priorities outlined in both the national and provincial government work reports, the province is positioning technological innovation as the central engine of high-quality growth.

By leveraging strengths in industrial upgrading, emerging industries and an expanding innovation ecosystem, Fujian is becoming an increasingly important force in China's technology landscape. The province is working to bridge traditional manufacturing advantages with cutting-edge technologies, while deepening the integration of innovation with the real economy.

Traditional industries: Going digital and green

Fujian has made notable progress in upgrading traditional industries through digitalization and green technology.

A prominent example is the lace industry in Changle, Fuzhou – China's largest lace production hub. The AI-powered industrial internet platform "For Both" connects more than 1,500 looms across over 200 factories, enabling intelligent order allocation, automated defect detection and AI-assisted design.

The platform's visual inspection system has increased fabric inspection speeds from 6 meters to 60 meters per minute – 10 times faster than before – while cutting labor costs by more than 70% and raising product qualification rates to 98%.

Similarly, nylon producer Eversun has developed a fully intelligent production line covering the entire industrial chain. The upgrade has reduced land use and labor costs by 60% and cut carbon emissions by more than 40%.

Through these transformation efforts, Fujian has emerged as a national leader in industrial digitalization. At present, the province ranks second nationwide in the share of traditional industry enterprises that have fully digitized their key business processes.

Emerging industries: Advancing frontier technologies

Fujian has also made steady progress in emerging industries during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, strengthening its competitiveness in high-tech sectors.

The province's new energy industry has become globally competitive, with power battery shipments consistently ranking among the world's largest. Breakthroughs have been made in next-generation lithium batteries and large-scale energy storage technologies.

The biomedical sector has also produced major achievements. Companies in Fujian have developed China's first nine-valent HPV vaccine and made advances in innovative drug research.

AI has become a strategic focus. Fuzhou, Xiamen and Quanzhou have been designated national pilot zones for data industry development within the Fuzhou-Xiamen-Quanzhou National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone. The region is building a technology innovation corridor and developing provincial-level AI industrial parks while nurturing specialized AI companies.

In 2025, the added value of Fujian's digital economy is expected to reach 3.4 trillion yuan (about $470 billion), placing the province in the top tier nationwide and providing a solid foundation for the development of the AI industry.

Meanwhile, Fujian is expanding investment in frontier sectors such as commercial aerospace, the low-altitude economy and green hydrogen. A pilot green hydrogen base has already begun operations, with progress in technologies including hydrogen production from seawater.

The province's low-altitude economy – supported by its strengths in the digital and marine economies – has begun forming a full industrial chain, with applications ranging from logistics and maritime monitoring to rural revitalization.

Innovation ecosystem: Policies, platforms and talent

Fujian has been building a comprehensive innovation ecosystem to support technology commercialization and talent development.

A provincial public service platform for technology transfer provides subsidies of up to 200,000 yuan (about $28,000) for technology transactions while supporting concept verification centers and pilot testing facilities. The system aims to match industrial demand with major scientific breakthroughs and strengthen collaboration between companies and research institutions.

Innovation platforms also play a central role. Eight provincial laboratories have brought together more than 2,300 researchers and achieved breakthroughs in over 190 key technologies. The Fuzhou-Xiamen-Quanzhou National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone now hosts 82% of Fujian's high-tech enterprises.

Talent programs such as the "Bamin Talents Program" have helped attract leading researchers and industry teams. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Fujian has added nine new academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Financial support for innovation has also expanded. Government-guided funds now total about 130 billion yuan (around $18 billion). By 2025, outstanding technology loans in the province had reached 1.3 trillion yuan (about $180 billion), up 9.6% year on year, with new technology loans accounting for 35.2% of all newly issued loans.

Fujian's growing role in China's innovation landscape

With its strong industrial base, coastal openness and supportive policies, Fujian is emerging as a key link in China's national innovation chain.

Enterprises account for about 88% of the province's total R&D spending – 11 percentage points higher than the national average – highlighting the leading role of companies in driving innovation. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of the digital economy has strengthened the integration of technology with manufacturing and services.

Fujian is also expanding international and cross-Strait cooperation. The province hosts 18 technology cooperation bases with Taiwan region and participates in major international scientific initiatives, including ocean negative carbon emissions research involving institutions from 35 countries.

Fujian plans to further strengthen technological innovation as its primary development driver. In 2026, the province aims to increase overall R&D investment by 10% and launch more than ten major science and technology projects.

By promoting closer integration between education, research and talent development, advancing initiatives such as "AI+" and "Data Element ×", and accelerating the development of new quality productive forces, Fujian aims to build itself into a nationally influential regional innovation hub.

In doing so, the province hopes to support industrial upgrading, drive high-quality economic growth and contribute to China's broader goal of becoming a global leader in science and technology.