Manufacturing is the foundation of the national economy. The 15th Five-Year Plan proposed to "accelerate the construction of a manufacturing powerhouse" and "maintain a reasonable proportion of manufacturing and build a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone." The Central Economic Work Conference in 2025 further focused on "adhering to innovation-driven development and accelerating the cultivation and expansion of new growth drivers," pointing the way for the transformation and upgrading of my country's manufacturing industry.
Promoting the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry is a practical necessity for accelerating the development of new-quality productive forces. The cultivation and expansion of new-quality productive forces cannot be separated from the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation. Specifically in the manufacturing sector, this means a shift in development models from the traditional "scale expansion" to "quality leap," and from "factor-driven" to "innovation-driven." In recent years, numerous enterprises have been deploying automated production lines and building smart factories, leading to a continuous emergence of intelligent manufacturing scenarios. For example, in the factory of a coal mining machinery company in Zhengzhou, Henan, automated production lines operate smoothly; and in the production workshop of a metal products company in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, robotic arms precisely grasp and assemble parts. As more and more advanced manufacturing enterprises move towards "new" models, it will inevitably drive a significant improvement in productivity, releasing surging momentum for high-quality economic development.
Promoting the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry is conducive to consolidating the foundation for expanding domestic demand. There is a mutually reinforcing and synergistic relationship between the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry and the expansion of domestic demand. On the one hand, the strong domestic market provides the "best testing ground" and "largest incubator" for technological innovation; on the other hand, the manufacturing industry's shift from "producing more" to "producing more and better" enables it to provide higher-quality and more diverse products and services, continuously stimulating potential consumer demand, thereby achieving a two-way convergence of manufacturing advantages and consumption momentum.
Of course, this profound transformation of the manufacturing industry is by no means a smooth road and still faces multiple constraints: First, the "innovation bottleneck," with some key core technologies still dependent on others; second, the "transformation gap," with the digital transformation of some enterprises only remaining at the level of single-point application of technology, failing to drive systemic changes in organizational management, business models, and value creation models; and third, "factor constraints," with the support system for adapting to the development of advanced manufacturing, such as high-end talent and data factor markets, still imperfect.
Solving these challenges requires a systems thinking approach. In technological innovation, we must adhere to a dual-drive strategy of "independent research and development" and "open cooperation," strengthening basic research and cutting-edge exploration to strive for breakthroughs while actively integrating into the global innovation network and learning from others' strengths. In industrial organization, we should promote the formation of an "innovation community" that integrates innovation among large, medium, and small enterprises and facilitates collaborative upgrading across the industrial chain, achieving cluster-based development. Regarding resource guarantees, we must continuously deepen institutional and mechanism reforms around key elements such as capital, talent, and data, constructing a "factor-supported" policy system to provide guarantees for the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry.
The prospects for the transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry are broad, and the key lies in maintaining strategic focus. 2026 marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan, a crucial period for the manufacturing sector to transform from large to strong. Digital transformation will continue to deepen, and the integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence and the industrial internet with manufacturing will become more widespread and profound. In the long term, through continuous technological innovation and brand building, "Made in China" will break free from a low-value-added development path and shift from "price advantage" to "value advantage." Going forward, by pooling resources and resolutely promoting the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, China's manufacturing power will continuously break through development bottlenecks, providing a solid material and technological foundation for Chinese-style modernization. (Qiao Ruiqing, columnist for China Economic Net)
