How should economic work proceed in the second half of the year? Where are the breakthrough points? Recently, China has set a major strategic direction: six emerging pillar industries are to achieve trillion-yuan-scale development. So which are these six? Integrated circuits, aerospace, biomedicine, low-altitude economy, new energy storage, and intelligent robotics.
In the 2026 Government Work Report, the concept of "building emerging pillar industries" was systematically introduced for the first time. In March, the National Development and Reform Commission further stated that China would focus on developing six key emerging pillar industries. In July, the State Council executive meeting deployed efforts to "promote large-scale development across the entire industrial chain." Within just half a year, a series of policy measures have been密集ly issued at the national level. Today, we will conduct an in-depth analysis of how these six industries will support China's economy over the next decade.
Let's first take a look at what exactly qualifies these six major sectors as pillars.
First, it must be closely related to the resilience and security of the industrial chain, as semiconductors, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals directly affect self-reliance and control over the supply chain. Second, the industrial chain should have strong radiating power, with each sector capable of driving development across the entire value chain—from upstream materials and midstream equipment to downstream consumer markets. At the same time, it must meet conditions for large-scale commercialization, enabling domestic capacity absorption, sustained job creation, and increased household income.
In recent years, these six key industries have grown rapidly and now possess the foundation for large-scale development. Integrated circuits—the foundational core of all emerging industries—saw a 23.1% increase in chip production in the first half of the year, with exports surging by 88.7%, contributing nearly one-third of total goods exports. In biopharmaceuticals, 38 innovative drugs were approved in the first half, including 31 domestically developed ones, with total overseas technology licensing revenue approaching $100 billion. Aerospace has accelerated commercialization: the C919 aircraft has been delivered 41 times, accumulating over 130,000 hours of safe flight; the recoverable Long March 10B rocket was successfully launched. In intelligent robotics, eight out of every ten humanoid and quadruped robots sold globally are made in China. Low-altitude economy and new energy storage, integrated with renewable power consumption and grid modernization, perfectly support the 5 trillion yuan investment plan for a new power grid during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. By 2025, output value related to these six emerging pillar industries has approached 6 trillion yuan, and is expected to exceed 10 trillion yuan by 2030.
After discussing the six major sectors, you might still wonder: how can these pillar industries grow from 6 trillion yuan to 10 trillion yuan? Let's take a look at how this grand strategy will actually unfold.
1. The six major industries are deeply integrated with the "six networks," with financial support directly underwriting them. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, water networks, new power grids, computing networks, communication networks, underground utility networks, and logistics networks will serve as key pillars for stabilizing investment, providing foundational infrastructure for the six core industries. New policy-based financial instruments worth 800 billion yuan, ultra-long-term special government bonds, and special-purpose bonds will be prioritized toward new infrastructure and emerging industries. In simple terms, sustained long-term capital injection ensures scalable industrial development, avoiding short-term speculative bubbles.
II. The development of the six major industries is closely linked to expanding domestic demand, essentially meaning stabilizing investment and boosting consumption. On the investment side: guide private capital toward early-stage, small-scale, and hard-tech ventures, leveraging national venture capital guidance funds to attract long-term patient capital from society. On the consumption side, the end products of these six industries—such as smart devices, robots, low-altitude aircraft, and innovative pharmaceuticals—represent upgraded consumer goods, creating a virtuous cycle of "income growth—consumption—industrial expansion."
III. Balance development with security to avoid disorderly competition. The National Development and Reform Commission emphasized at its press conference that regions should rationally plan their layouts based on local resources, prevent homogenized and cutthroat competition, accelerate legislation on artificial intelligence, and regulate the development of the technology industry. A rush into the market without careful planning will lead to bubbles; only by building an orderly and sustainable trillion-dollar industrial cluster can we better balance economic growth with supply chain security.
This model completely avoids the old path of single subsidies, supporting the industry across the entire chain—from technology and application scenarios to capital and regional layout—providing the core confidence needed to achieve a trillion-scale market.
What drives economic growth? How should pillar industries develop? These questions are actually closely related to our everyday lives.
Over the past decade, real estate and traditional infrastructure have driven economic growth; in the next five years, six emerging pillar industries will become the core drivers of employment, income, and industrial investment.
Now, the top-level policy framework is clear: leveraging new-quality productive forces to create entirely new growth, relying on advanced high-tech manufacturing to build a 10-trillion-yuan economic pillar. Integrated circuits will strengthen the digital foundation, energy storage and aviation will safeguard national security, while biomedicine, robotics, and low-altitude economy will unlock new growth opportunities. The coordinated advancement across these six key sectors will be the decisive factor in China's economic second half.
