China plans to accelerate the development of emerging and future industries—including artificial intelligence and robotics—during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30) while strengthening its competitive edge in information and communications technology, a senior industry official said on Saturday.

Li Lecheng, minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said the country will push harder to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies and to integrate technological innovation with industrial development. Li made the remarks while chairing a meeting in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, to discuss the drafting framework for the industrial portion of the new plan.

At the meeting, Li emphasized the need to maintain a reasonable share of manufacturing, bolster critical resource support, and safeguard the integrity of the industrial system. He also highlighted the importance of enhancing the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains, reshaping industrial infrastructure, and optimizing regional productivity layouts.

In addition, Li called for cultivating high-quality enterprises, improving mechanisms to address overdue payments, and ensuring that businesses benefit more directly from industrial policies.