SCIO briefing on China's economic performance in July 2025

Jiupai News:

Developing new quality productive forces is an intrinsic requirement and an important focus of promoting high-quality development. Since the beginning of this year, various regions have been actively fostering new quality productive forces. Could you please brief us on their development in July? Thank you.

Fu Linghui:

Thank you for your question. The development of new quality productive forces has attracted a great amount of attention. Since the start of this year, China has been promoting the deep integration of scientific and industrial innovation, advancing high-end, intelligent, and green industrial transformation, and facilitating the application of scientific and technological achievements. These efforts have led to steady progress in cultivating new quality productive forces, injecting strong momentum into high-quality development. Let me give you some details.

First, a steady stream of innovation outcomes has emerged. China has continued to increase R&D investment and advance self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology, achieving a number of breakthroughs. In 2024, national R&D spending exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan, with an intensity of 2.68%, surpassing the overall level of the EU and approaching the OECD average. This year, from the domestic boom in large AI models to the "Robot Marathon," a series of technological innovations have captured global attention.

Second, emerging industries have maintained a robust growth. Emerging industries serve as key arenas for fostering new quality productive forces. The deep integration of scientific and industrial innovation has enhanced the supply of high-quality innovation, continuously driving the growth of emerging industries. High-tech industries with higher technological content and added value have maintained rapid growth since the beginning of this year. In July, the value added of integrated circuit manufacturing and electronic special materials manufacturing above the designated size increased by 26.9% and 21.7% year on year, respectively.

Third, the digital economy has grown rapidly. In the digital era, digital technologies have become a key driving force, increasingly empowering a wide range of industries. In July, the value added of digital product manufacturing above the designated size increased by 8.4% year on year. Artificial intelligence has developed rapidly and become more deeply integrated with the real economy, with application scenarios continuing to expand and smart terminal products becoming increasingly popular. In July, the value added of intelligent unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturing and intelligent in-vehicle device manufacturing rose by 80.8% and 21%, respectively. Industrial robots and civilian drones output increased by 24% and 18.9% respectively.

Fourth, green development has gained both quality and efficiency. In line with the global trend toward green and low-carbon growth, China has been fostering new growth drivers in green development and has achieved remarkable results, with the green content of its economy continuing to rise. In July, the output of new energy products such as new energy vehicles and lithium-ion batteries increased by 17.1% and 29.4% year on year, respectively. The output of green materials such as carbon fiber and bio-based chemical fibers rose by 43.8% and 19.8% , respectively. The green transformation has also created new opportunities for the development of the circular economy, as the value added of the waste resource comprehensive utilization industry increased by 11.7% in July.

In addition, the effects of large-scale equipment renewal policies continue to be realized, creating favorable conditions for traditional industries to accelerate equipment upgrades and technological transformation. Some enterprises in traditional sectors have introduced new processes, technologies, and concepts, leveraging the advantages of flexible production and rapid response to establish core competitiveness in a highly competitive market environment. Thank you.