Metropolis to develop high-end industries during 14th Five-Year Plan period
The Shanghai government is focusing on developing its high-end industries to help them gain global competitiveness during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), utilizing the city's solid industrial foundation and advantages in various resources.
At least 100 high-level industrial projects will be built in Shanghai in the next few years, with total industrial investment projected to top 850 billion yuan ($132.8 billion), according to a plan released by the municipal government in early September.
Three major industries-integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence-will play a leading role in the government's efforts. These industries will see their respective scale more than double by the end of 2025, according to the plan.
The annual turnover of Shanghai's IC industry surged 21 percent year-on-year to 207 billion yuan in 2020.The city's industrial output value of the biomedicine industry exceeded 140 billion yuan last year while that of AI reached 220 billion yuan.
Six key industrial clusters of information technology, life sciences, automobiles, high-end equipment, new materials and high-end consumer goods will be formed by 2025, according to the plan.
The city government will create a better environment for Shanghai's advanced manufacturing companies to keep up with the pace of industry's big names and even take the lead globally in the next few years, said Shanghai Vice-Mayor Wu Qing.
The administration of Shanghai's Pudong New Area has set goals related to technological innovation with a global influence.
Pudong will further strengthen the industrial chain and build an advanced manufacturing industrial cluster featuring six major industries, including chipmaking, AI and big data, said Xu Xin, director of the Pudong science technology and economy commission.
More efforts are being made to boost emerging industries, such as new materials, and develop a group of leading high-tech enterprises, he said.
Shanghai's many universities will be used in coordination with the plans to fuel development.
Celestica, a Toronto-based electronics maker that provides design, manufacturing and supply chain solutions, set up its global design center in Shanghai with a team of 450 engineering experts.
"Shanghai has a rich talent pool and an attractive international business environment," said George Dai, the center's general manager. "The city has more than 60 universities and every year, these universities produce hundreds of thousands of graduates.
"Upon graduation, many of them choose to stay in Shanghai to join the high-tech companies in the area.
"Shanghai is also a renowned international city with the largest English-speaking population in China, which is important as we serve customers from around the world."