Xi said that higher strategic priority must be given to fostering new quality productive forces in line with local conditions in the next five years.

He highlighted the roles of scientific and technological innovation and the real economy, urged efforts to transform and upgrade traditional industries, develop emerging industries, and make forward-thinking arrangements for industries of the future, so as to accelerate modernization of the industrial system.

In the face of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, what should China's priorities be in its economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period? How can the country drive the development of new quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation?

"We must continue to promote industrial innovation through scientific and technological innovation, foster new quality productive forces in line with local conditions, and channel various types of advanced production factors toward the development of new quality productive forces," said Ding Kuiling, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University at the "Stories of High-Quality Development," a People's Daily video series. Ding added that we need to close "three key miles" when driving the development of high-quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation.

Breaking the cocoon: Science and technology ignite the engine of transformation for traditional industries

"Scientific and technological innovation is an important force underpinning the transformation of traditional industries," Ding said. He emphasized that through scientific and technological innovation, traditional industries can accelerate their "metamorphosis" and upgrade—shifting from low-value-added, low-efficiency production models to smarter, greener, and more digitized high-value-added industries.

At a lab of the Nanfan Silicon Valley in south China's Hainan Province, science and technology are adding "wings" for seed breeding. Qian Qian, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and rice molecular geneticist paints a new vision. They use LiDAR, hyperspectral cameras, and a variety of sensors to run a full diagnostic check on the breeding material. "This equips China's granaries with cutting-edge tech, and turns each seed into a promise of higher yields and increased incomes," Qian said.

In farmlands in Weifang, east China's Shandong Province, smart agriculture is rewriting the history of "living at the mercy of the elements". According to Li Defang, dean of the Weichai Lovol Smart Agriculture Research Institute, a sophisticated data network collects data every 30 minutes and uploads it in real-time to a cloud-based system, just like sending a message. Leveraging four advanced AI large language models covering irrigation, nutrition, pest control, and crop growth, smart agricultural machinery equipped with variable devices follows commands to "diagnose" and "nourish" the soil, achieving precision farming with just a smart phone.

When data becomes the new means of production, and machines learn to think like humans, Qian foresees a silent revolution sweeping Chinese agriculture: science and technology have redefined the relationship between humans and the land, ensuring China's food security rests firmly in its own hands.

Riding the wave: Innovation fuels the surging momentum of emerging industries

As fertile ground for nurturing and applying scientific and technological innovation, emerging industries, underpinned by digital technologies and more, are deeply integrating with all sectors, driving a surge in production efficiency. Seizing the technological high ground and building new industrial advantages facilitate China's breakthrough from "following others" to "leading the pack" in industrial development，Ding said.

LandSpace's recyclable rockets are one of the best examples showcasing how scientific and technologic innovation is boosting the development of emerging industries.

"What are the benefits of rocket recovery, just like recycling Coke bottles? Simply put, reducing costs and increasing efficiency," said Zhao Pengfei, head of the Avionics Systems Engineering Division, Rocket R&D Department, LandSpace. "With reusable rockets, large scale deployment of satellite internet can be realized rapidly and at low cost, achieving true integration of space and ground, connecting everything."

Scientific and technological innovation is not only a bridge to the unknown world, but also a key force driving the transformation of productivity. Reusable technology, as a revolutionary breakthrough, transforms rockets from disposable luxury items into regular transport vehicles, ushering in a new era of efficient and cost-effective space exploration, Zhao said.

"The growth of emerging industries has spurred the convergence and restructuring of capital, technologies, and talent," noted Ding, adding that the expansion of these industries has catalyzed integrated innovation across upstream and downstream enterprises, driving industrial chain upgrades and renewal. This transformation is reshaping competitive dynamics and market ecosystems, injecting fresh vitality into economic growth.

Weaving the future: Seize the high ground of future industries through forward-looking strategic planning

Artificial intelligence, quantum information, mobile communications, the Internet of Things... This new generation of information technologies is rapidly advancing from breakthroughs to real-world applications. According to Ding, adopting a forward-thinking approach to the development of humanoid robots, quantum information, brain-computer interface, and other future industries will make China a leader in global technological and market competition and help China seize the initiative in future economic development and gain new international competitive advantages.

Grand neoBay, in which Shanghai Jiao Tong University played a pivotal role in its development, is emerging as fertile ground for incubating these future industries. Liu Ning, director of the Office of Grand neoBay, general manager of Shanghai Grand neoBay Technology Development Co., Ltd., using a robot capable of shaving beards as an example, showcased embodied AI technologies' breakthroughs, and how lab prototypes are being applied in diverse industrial scenarios.

The robot, developed by a team led by Lu Cewu, deputy dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, can not only shave with precise force to remove beards but also avoid injuries to skin through extremely delicate operations. Achieving this requires exceptionally high standards in visual accuracy, tactile sensitivity, and millimeter-level force feedback control. "We anticipate industry-academia collaboration will play a pivotal role in shaping future tech industries," said Lu.

At Grand neoBay, the journey from bold ideas to industrial implementation unfolds every day. According to Liu, the project's success lies in its organic integration of fundamental theoretical research with commercialization of innovative achievements. On the road toward building a globally influential hub for scientific and technological innovation, and focuses on developing future industries, incubators and tech-driven startups at Grand neoBay are forging ahead with full momentum and determination.

Persisting in scientific and technological innovation, closing the "three key miles"

"New quality productive forces are primarily driven by revolutionary breakthroughs in technology," Ding noted, adding that we must continue to promote industrial innovation through scientific and technological innovation, foster new quality productive forces in line with local conditions, and channel various types of advanced production factors toward the development of new quality productive forces. In the implementation process, three "one-mile" challenges must be addressed.

First, we need to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key areas and address the "first mile" challenge of breeding scientific and technological innovation. The current basic research should focus on three zones. The first is the "focus zone," mainly referring to strategically oriented, systematized basic research. We must pool our strength to accomplish great things, focusing on major scientific programs and large-scale engineering projects, and turn what we've learned into real contributions on the ground across the nation. The second is the "free exploration zone," mainly referring to frontier-oriented, exploratory basic research. We need to build new types of scientific and technological innovation platforms to generate original, forward-looking, and disruptive innovation results. The third is the "integration zone," mainly referring to market-oriented, application-oriented basic research. We need to leverage the guiding role of the coordinated development of these "three zones" to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces by breeding scientific and technological innovation.

Second, we need to speed up the shift to new growth drivers to address the "one mile" challenge of accumulating advantages for emerging industries. Facing today's challenges, China must proactively leverage digital and green technologies to upgrade traditional industries and speed up the shift to new growth drivers. At the same time, China needs to empower its industrial structure upgrading through scientific and technological innovation to continuously promote the accumulation of new growth drivers, the emergence of new business models, and the expansion of new industries. It also needs to modernize its industrial system to provide more momentum and support for achieving high-quality development.

Third, we need to launch the "AI Plus" initiative to ensure the critical "last mile" in the transformation of future industries. We need to press ahead by serving national strategies, taking the "AI Plus" initiative as the starting point and priority, driving disruptive innovation through innovation from the bottom, accelerating revolutionary advances through breakthroughs in basic research. This way we can promote cross-sector collaborative innovation, precisely identify and proactively cultivate future industries, and open up new fields for future industries through disruptive technologies.

"From the upgrading of traditional industries, to the surge of emerging industries and to the strategic layout of future industries, China is vigorously promoting the development of new quality productive forces by advancing scientific and technological innovation," said Ding confidently.

Today's China is relentlessly innovating to reshape industries while pioneering the future through innovation.