The emerging pillar industries are a new concept proposed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in the process of promoting high-quality development in the new era. The outline of the "14th Five-Year Plan" has listed them as key words and designated them as the strategic priorities for industrial development in the next five years.
The connotation of emerging pillar industries
Emerging pillar industries refer to those industries that hold significant strategic positions in the national economy, possess high technological content and added value, and play a crucial supporting role in economic growth. They combine the characteristics and impacts of both emerging industries and pillar industries. On July 30, 2025, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting and pointed out: "Adhere to using scientific and technological innovation to lead the development of new quality productive forces, accelerate the cultivation of emerging pillar industries with international competitiveness, and promote the deep integration and development of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation." This is not only a scientific prediction of the transformation of China's economic growth momentum, but also provides an important guarantee for promoting economic quality-based improvement and reasonable growth, and accelerating the realization of Chinese-style modernization. (Towards the "14th Five-Year Plan": Key Development Areas and Promotion Paths for Emerging Pillar Industries)
The "Outline" of the "14-15" Plan states that "a number of emerging pillar industries with great growth potential, high technological content, and wide application fields should be vigorously developed." During the National Two Sessions, Director Zheng Zegjie of the National Development and Reform Commission stated at the economic theme press conference of the 14th National People's Congress that the six emerging pillar industries include integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, low-altitude economy, new energy storage, and intelligent robots. Preliminary estimates show that the related output value of these six emerging pillar industries has approached 6 trillion yuan by 2025, and is expected to double or even more by 2030, expanding to over 10 trillion yuan. (How to understand "emerging pillar industries"? Author: Du Zhuang)
2. Evolutionary History
The meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held on July 24, 2023, pointed out that efforts should be made to vigorously promote the construction of the modern industrial system, and accelerate the cultivation and expansion of strategic emerging industries, and create more pillar industries. The executive meeting of the State Council held on July 31 pointed out that efforts should be made to accelerate the cultivation and expansion of strategic emerging industries, create new pillar industries, and enhance China's competitiveness and influence in the global industrial chain and supply chain. (Cui Shuang of Science and Technology Daily: Vigorously promoting the construction of the modern industrial system)
Strengthen basic research and key core technology breakthroughs, make advanced preparations for major scientific and technological projects, and launch large-scale application demonstration actions for new technologies, new products and new scenarios. Launch the "Artificial Intelligence +" initiative to cultivate future industries. Strengthen the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces. Improve the multi-level financial service system, expand patient capital, attract more social capital to participate in venture capital more vigorously, and cultivate innovative enterprises in a gradient manner. Comprehensively rectify "competitive over-expansion" competition and regulate the behaviors of local governments and enterprises. Actively use digital technology and green technology to upgrade traditional industries.
April 2025: The meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasized that multiple measures should be taken to assist struggling enterprises. Strengthen financing support. Accelerate the integration of domestic and foreign trade. Cultivate and expand new productive forces, and create a number of emerging pillar industries. Continuously make efforts to advance key core technology research and development, innovate and launch the "technology board" in the bond market, and accelerate the implementation of the "artificial intelligence +" initiative. Vigorously promote the upgrading and improvement of key industries, adhere to standard leadership, and regulate the competition order.
July 2025: The meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China further demanded, "Accelerate the cultivation of emerging pillar industries with international competitiveness." The meeting pointed out that we must unswervingly deepen reforms. We should adhere to technological innovation to lead the development of new quality productive forces, accelerate the cultivation of emerging pillar industries with international competitiveness, and promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation. We should further advance the construction of a unified national market, continuously optimize market competition order. We should govern enterprises' disorderly competition in accordance with the law and regulations. We should promote the governance of key industry production capacity. We should regulate local investment promotion behaviors. We should adhere to "two unshakable principles", and stimulate the vitality of all types of business entities. (Binzhou Daily: The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting)
By the end of 2025: The "Proposal for the 15th Five-Year Plan" clearly states that "actively building emerging pillar industries" is listed as an important task for constructing a modern industrial system. We will cultivate and expand emerging industries and future industries, and strive to build emerging pillar industries. We will implement the industrial innovation project, comprehensively promoting the construction of innovation facilities, technological research and development, product iteration and upgrading, and accelerate the development of strategic emerging industrial clusters such as new energy, new materials, aerospace, and low-altitude economy. We will improve the industrial ecosystem, implement large-scale application demonstration actions for new technologies, new products, and new scenarios, and accelerate the large-scale development of emerging industries. (The Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development)
March 2026: The "Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan" was officially released, clearly stating the goal of creating "new industries with significant growth potential, high technological content, and wide application fields". Chapter 5: Cultivating and Strengthening Emerging and Future Industries Strengthen the supply of original technologies, accelerate the establishment of application scenarios and ecological systems, cultivate more pillar and leading industries, and build new advantages for industrial development. Develop emerging industries and accelerate the development of strategic emerging industries such as new-generation information technology, new energy, new materials, intelligent connected new energy vehicles, robots, biomedicine, high-end equipment, aerospace, etc. Build strategic emerging industry clusters with unique characteristics and complementary advantages based on local conditions, and strive to create a number of emerging pillar industries with significant growth potential, high technological content, and wide application fields. Expand the development space of marine economy, promote the healthy and orderly development of low-altitude economy. Implement large-scale application demonstration actions for new technologies, new products, and new scenarios, increase the cultivation and openness of scenarios, and accelerate the large-scale development of emerging industries. Encourage the development of strategic products and services, promote the large-scale series development of domestic large aircraft, strengthen the innovative application of the Beidou system, steadily advance key technological innovations in intelligent driving, new solar cells, new energy storage, etc., and support the clinical use of innovative drugs. (Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan)
During the National Two Sessions in 2026: Director Zheng Zegjie of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a press conference, for the first time officially disclosed the specific list of the six emerging pillar industries: integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, low-altitude economy, new energy storage, and intelligent robots. In 2025, China's high-tech manufacturing sector accounted for 17% of the total, contributing 26% to industrial growth. This is the result of the joint effect of China's institutional advantages, market advantages, industrial advantages, and talent advantages. It is certain and can be further observed that in the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, there will be a batch of high-growth industries ready to take off, and we will create new markets through incremental growth and potential exploitation, forming several trillion-scale or even larger markets, promoting the industrial system to grow from large to strong and move from quantitative change to qualitative change, becoming a new engine for high-quality development. Specifically in terms of incremental growth, I will mainly introduce emerging industries and future industries. The capital market is very concerned about this, and we hope these emerging industries and future industries can provide support for the capital market. We will focus on building six major emerging pillar industries and six major future industries. The six emerging pillar industries include integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, low-altitude economy, new energy storage, and intelligent robots. At this Spring Festival Gala, our robots not only showcase their skills but also have a lot of technical content. Currently, robots are developing in two directions: first, they are becoming more like humans, with broad application scenarios; second, they are becoming less like humans, according to the needs of industrial development, they may become six fingers, eight fingers, or even have five or six arms. Preliminary estimates show that the output value related to these six industries will have approached 6 trillion by 2025, and is expected to double or more by 2030, expanding to over ten trillion. The six future industries include quantum technology, biomanufacturing, green hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interface, embodied intelligence, and the emerging 6G technology. These industries are at the " eve of breakthroughs" stage. The current future industries may be the emerging pillar industries of tomorrow. I believe there will be more and more surprises presented before everyone. In terms of the existing market, we will continue to strengthen and expand traditional industries. We will promote key industries to improve quality and upgrade, and it is expected that in the next five years, traditional industries will have a broad market of over ten trillion. These are also important sources of development momentum. Next, for high-growth industries, we will focus on doing three things in particular. (Director Zheng Zegjie answered questions at the economic theme press conference of the 14th National People's Congress Fourth Session: Focus on building the six emerging pillar industries such as low-altitude economy and embodied intelligence, and the six future industries such as quantum technology, biomanufacturing, green hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interface, embodied intelligence, and the emerging 6G technology.)
