Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Competitive order in industries such as photovoltaics continues to improve, with overall price recovery of components and other products

On April 21st, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce the development of industry and informatization in the first quarter of 2026. 

         Firstly, the industrial economy has made steady progress, with further enhanced development momentum. We actively leveraged the combined force of policies such as "two heavy" and "two new" to guide all regions to strengthen the implementation of policies and work. In the first quarter, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 6.1% year-on-year, with all 31 provinces achieving positive growth. Over 80% of industries saw growth, and the contribution rate of industry to economic growth was nearly 40%. We promoted the development and expansion of the digital industry, accelerated the layout and construction of new information infrastructure, and the total volume of telecommunication services increased by 8.3% year-on-year in the first quarter, with the growth rate increasing by 0.6 percentage points compared to the same period last year. The business income of the software and information technology service industry increased by 11.7% year-on-year from January to February, with the growth rate increasing by 1.8 percentage points compared to the same period last year.

Secondly, industrial technological innovation has progressed deeply and practically, further unlocking growth potential. We have promoted the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, accelerating the transformation of innovation achievements into practical productivity. So far, 21 national-level manufacturing pilot platforms and 14 excellent-level technology enterprise incubators have been selected, building a smooth bridge from the "laboratory" to the "production line". In the first quarter, facing the upgrading of traditional industries, the growth of emerging industries, and the layout of future industries, 304 industry standards were issued, and the added value of high-tech manufacturing above a certain scale increased by 12.5% year-on-year. New technologies such as artificial intelligence have been rapidly expanding their applications in the electronics and consumer goods industries. Terminal products such as drones and AI glasses are becoming increasingly abundant, while the output of industrial robots and integrated circuits has increased by 33.2% and 24.3% year-on-year, respectively.

Thirdly, the pace of advanced manufacturing has accelerated, further unleashing industrial vitality. We have continued to promote the optimization of industrial structure, with the proportion of equipment manufacturing above a certain size in industrial added value increasing by 1.4 percentage points compared to the same period last year. The first batch of 16 cities selected for the establishment of national new industrialization demonstration zones was announced, bringing the total number of national high-tech zones to 179. Efforts have been intensified to promote the intelligent upgrading of the manufacturing industry, with the acceptance of 37 "challenge-and-response" projects for smart manufacturing system solutions completed, and 7 new national standards and 2 industry standards for smart manufacturing issued. We have focused on guiding energy conservation and carbon reduction in the industrial sector, carrying out pilot projects for comprehensive hydrogen energy applications, and announcing 2,038 new green factories and 128 new green industrial parks. The energy consumption per unit of added value in China's industrial enterprises above a certain size has continued to decline.

Fourthly, the quality and efficiency of services for enterprises have been improved, and the strength of enterprises has been further enhanced. We have improved the gradient cultivation system for high-quality enterprises, issued the "Administrative Measures for the Gradient Cultivation of High-quality Small and Medium-sized Enterprises", carried out special actions such as "bringing excellent enterprises to schools to recruit talents", and talent services for small and medium-sized enterprises, and accelerated efforts to clear arrears of enterprise accounts. We have continued to regulate the competition order in key industries, thoroughly rectified the chaos in the automotive industry network, and urged enterprises to strictly implement the 60-day payment period commitment. We have continued to promote early warning and regulation of production capacity, standardize price competition, strengthen product quality supervision, and other work. The competition order in new energy vehicles, photovoltaic, and other industries has continued to improve, and the prices of photovoltaic modules, lithium carbonate, power lithium iron phosphate, and other products have generally rebounded.

Amidst the rising uncertainty in the current external environment, China's industrial system remains comprehensive, with strong industrial resilience and a large market scale. The fundamental trend of the industrial economy towards stability and improvement will not change. Moving forward, we will adhere to the general work principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, coordinate domestic and international situations, better balance development and security, focus on stabilizing growth, strengthening innovation, promoting integration, optimizing governance, and preventing risks. We will continuously improve the quality and efficiency of industrial economic operations, achieving a good start for the 14th Five-Year Plan.