For Li Yong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the concept of "new quality productive forces" is not about discarding the old to start anew, but rather achieving a qualitative leap based on existing industrial foundations.

Li, who also serves as Party secretary of Fuling district in Chongqing, emphasized during the ongoing two sessions that the district is leveraging its status as a major industrial hub to transition from traditional manufacturing to "smart manufacturing".

"Our confidence in moving toward the 'new' comes from our solid foundation," Li told China Daily, highlighting Fuling's global standing. The district hosts the world's largest production bases for adipic acid, spandex and food-grade PET.

To sustain this momentum, Fuling is implementing a strategy centered on technological innovation. The district has cultivated 310 high-tech enterprises and built a "1238" industrial sci-tech system.

The system is Fuling's comprehensive strategy to build a regional innovation hub by integrating tech with its eight pillar industries through specific actions in enterprise cultivation, platform building and ecosystem optimization.

Specific platforms, such as the synthetic chemical materials innovation complex led by Huafon Group and MOFs (metal-organic frameworks) material pilot platform, are serving as incubators for cutting-edge technologies. Last year, the output values of the materials and food processing industries were expected to have reached 153.1 billion yuan ($21.3 billion) and 36 billion yuan, respectively.

A key focus for the upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) is the automotive sector. Fuling has set an ambitious goal to build a 100-billion-yuan intelligent connected new energy vehicle cluster. Li said this is not just a slogan, but a target backed by a clear "algorithm" of optimizing existing stock and expanding new increments.

"We are constructing a '1+2'industrial pattern, anchoring one whole vehicle enterprise with battery and lightweight component sectors," Li said.

Beyond automaker enterprise Shineray Group, Fuling has attracted heavyweight battery projects like CATL-Geely and Rept Battero. A significant boost came last October when Shineray finalized a 5.2-billion-yuan investment for a lightweight body and parts intelligent production line, which is projected to generate over 10 billion yuan in annual output value.

To facilitate this growth, Fuling has established a mechanism where district leaders serve as facilitators to coordinate resources. This "one enterprise, one policy" approach ensures that both such facilitators and upstream-downstream enterprises receive precise support in investment, innovation and factor guarantees.

On the international front, Shineray has shown remarkable performance. In the Vietnamese market, it achieved a 30.1 percent market share last year, surpassing long-time leader Suzuki to top its niche market. To support such "systematic going global", Fuling is implementing practical policies, such as reducing logistics costs by approximately 200 yuan per vehicle through "zone-port interaction" and encouraging the establishment of overseas research and development centers.

Domestically, digitalization is the "nervous system" empowering these industries. Fuling Industrial Park was recently selected as the only park in Chongqing to pilot the national 10-gigabit optical network. With a latency one-tenth that of gigabit networks and"99.9999 percent" reliability, this infrastructure enables millisecond-level responses for real-time quality inspections and remote collaboration, said Li.

This digital infrastructure has already yielded tangible results. Fuling has built 106 smart factories and 60 green factories. Li cited "the mustard tuber industry brain" as a prime example of digital integration. This system connects the entire chain, allowing real-time tracking of sales data nationwide to guide farmers and enterprises in precise production and sales, effectively upgrading a traditional local specialty with cutting-edge technology.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn