New quality productive forces revive rust belt

HARBIN — Northeast China, a traditional industrial base once known as China's rust belt, is today a region that is sending out strong signals promoting the development of new quality productive forces to fuel its revival.

In Luobei, a graphite-rich county in Heilongjiang province, drones with three-dimensional laser technology measure the open-pit mine, electric trucks carry ores down the mountain, and photovoltaic panels produced there help convert solar energy into green electricity.

Wang Jionghui, chairman of a graphite subsidiary of China Minmetals in Heilongjiang, said the company has for the first time applied the industrial internet in building a green, intelligent and low-carbon mine with an annual output of 6 million metric tons.

Using cutting-edge technologies such as unmanned trucks, unmanned production, digital management and intelligent controls, the county is striving to build a 10 billion yuan ($1.39 billion) graphite industry cluster.

In September last year, China put forward the concept of new quality productive forces for the first time. By underscoring this concept, China aims to foster advanced productivity through revolutionary technology breakthroughs, innovative allocation of production factors and deepened industrial upgrading.

Since then, China's northeastern regions have combined their local advantages with cutting-edge technologies to nurture new industries and business models, in an attempt to add further momentum to local transformation and development.

The old industrial base is home to a number of major State-owned enterprises, which are actively using technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence for industrial upgrading.

In a welding workshop at FAW Hongqi in Jilin province, over 680 welding robots are busy working, with data collection sensors on them helping to determine in real time the best welding timing.

The Fanrong workshop of FAW Hongqi has also introduced an intelligent central control system, which allows real-time collection and monitoring of equipment data.

Neighboring Liaoning province is also ramping up efforts to develop new quality productive forces, with a focus on strategic emerging and future industries covering new materials, aerospace, robotics, new energy vehicles, integrated circuits, low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence and meta-universe.

"Liaoning has the foundation and advantages to carry out major technological innovation," said Zong Runfu, chairman of semiconductor fabrication equipment maker Kingsemi Co Ltd.

Top research institutions like the Institute of Metal Research, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics and Shenyang Institute of Automation, all branches of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have led the innovative development of Liaoning in new materials, new energy and advanced manufacturing, Zong said.

Heilongjiang is also shifting its development focus to strategic emerging industries and future industries.

According to its 2024 government work report, the province announced it will continuously develop strategic emerging industries covering new energy, aerospace, high-end equipment, new materials and biomedicine. It also pledged to nurture future industries including deep space, deep sea and deep Earth.

"Northeast China enjoys a solid foundation for the development of new quality productive forces," said Sun Haojin, director of the economic research institute of the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

The region has a relatively complete industrial system, a number of leading enterprises, renowned universities and research institutions, and top innovation teams, Sun said.

To better develop new quality productive forces in the region, the expert said the country must increase research and development spending and push forward the reform and opening-up of the scientific research system and mechanism to boost independent innovation to support industrial development.

Xinhua