SCIO briefing on development of industry and information technology in H1 2025

CNR:

We have noticed that since the beginning of this year, the MIIT, in conjunction with multiple departments, has issued a series of documents on the high-quality development of industries, including copper, aluminum and gold. Could you please introduce the overall development situation of China's non-ferrous metal industry in the first half of this year? And what positive impacts will the introduction of these measures have on industry development? Thank you.

Tao Qing:

Thank you for your questions. Non-ferrous metals have prominent strategic value and widespread applications. They are both basic materials supporting the development of industries, including construction, machinery and home appliances, and key materials for enhancing the competitiveness of emerging industries such as new energy and next-generation information technology. The development prospects are very promising. In the first half of this year, the value added of the non-ferrous metal industry increased 7.6% year on year, 1.2 percentage points higher than the average growth rate of industrial value added. The output of 10 commonly used non-ferrous metals reached 40.319 million tons, an increase of 2.9% year on year. From January to May, operating income for the non-ferrous metal industry increased 15.9% year on year, while profit rose 16.9%.

To promote the high-quality development of the non-ferrous metal industry, our ministry, in conjunction with the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments, issued implementation plans for the high-quality development of the copper, aluminum and gold industries, continuously advancing the high-end, intelligent and green development of the sector. First, breakthroughs in high-end materials continue to be made. Breakthroughs have been achieved in high-end materials, including ultra-thin titanium materials and some high-purity target materials, which have been successfully industrialized for practical application. This has significantly enhanced the security of key industrial chains, including new energy and integrated circuits. Second, green and low-carbon performance has significantly improved. The proportion of internationally advanced aluminum electrolysis cells with production capacity above 500 kiloamperes has exceeded 40%. The comprehensive AC power consumption of electrolytic aluminum is 700 kilowatt-hours lower than the global average. More than 95% of copper, lead, and zinc smelting production capacity adopts green and low-carbon production processes. Third, digital transformation is accelerating. The numerical control rate of key processes increased 20% while the digitization rate of production equipment in the non-ferrous metal industry rose 10% compared to the end of 2020. Nine excellent intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories have been developed.

Next, we will continue implementing the plan for high-quality development in the copper, aluminum and gold industries. We will also issue and implement a new round of work plans for stabilizing growth in the nonferrous metal industry. We will focus our efforts on stabilizing growth and promoting transformation. In terms of stabilizing growth, we will focus on making coordinated efforts from both the supply and demand sides. This includes strengthening supply security through efficient resource utilization and improving supply quality through deep-processed materials. Additionally, we will expand demand by promoting the upgrading of bulk consumption and cultivating emerging consumer markets, thereby promoting effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity in the industry. In terms of promoting transformation, we will encourage innovation in new materials and green low-carbon process technologies in the nonferrous metal industry and build a number of green mines, green factories and green industrial parks. We will also cultivate typical use-case scenarios, benchmark factories and exemplary enterprises for digital transformation. Additionally, we will deploy and build large AI models for the nonferrous metal industry and promote the deep integration of AI with the industry. Thank you.