China to establish more pilot demonstration zones to leverage market advantage

China will establish a batch of pilot demonstrative platforms to test the performance of cutting-edge products, said Xu Xiaolan, vice-minister of industry and information technology, on Friday in Beijing.

The move aims to leverage China's vast market advantage, which includes rich scenarios and massive applications, to stimulate industrial technological innovation.

The remarks were made at the 2023 China Brand Forum hosted by the People's Daily.

Xu said China's high-tech manufacturing industry has experienced rapid growth and a continuous optimization of the industrial structure. With a complete manufacturing industry chain, China has maintained its position as the world's largest manufacturing economy for 13 consecutive years.

She highlighted the growth in the export of traditional products such as clothing, home appliances and home furnishings. In addition, products like electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells have gained popularity overseas.

In addition to strengthening the manufacturing capabilities of leading enterprises, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has also actively supported the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in recent years.

Currently, there are around 103,000 specialized and sophisticated SMEs with novel products, and about 12,000 "little giant" firms. "Little giants" refer to SMEs that typically specialize in niche sectors, command high market shares and boast strong innovative capacity.