The camel milk industry has become a new catalyst for economic growth in Huocheng County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, boosting local herders' employment and income.
Located at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang's Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, the county boasts vast natural grasslands and pristine water sources.
Capitalizing on these unique natural assets, the county has established a new development pattern centered on specialized livestock farming and ecological tourism.
Building on its traditional livestock cultivation, the county has boosted the camel milk industry by developing standardized breeding bases through a model integrating enterprises, cooperatives and local herders.
During the process of industrial upgrading, Huocheng County's leading camel milk processing enterprise has taken active steps to adopt updated national standards for camel milk products, producing pure camel milk powder based on organic breeding practices.
These products have been sold nationwide through both online and offline channels, with select premium products entering international markets via cross-border e-commerce.
"This year, we have actively adopted the updated national standards for the camel milk industry, launching a pioneering 'triple organic' pure camel milk power certified for pasture, milk sources, and processing methods. Our sales exceeded 100 million yuan (about 14 million U.S. dollars) within one year. Meanwhile, we have also actively supported stable employment for local herders, whose average monthly income now reached over 6,000 yuan," said Wang Xixian, CEO of Fengcao Pasture Dairy Company.
Camel milk industry becomes new growth driver in Xinjiang
China's manufacturing sector has continued to accelerate its transformation and upgrading this year, moving faster toward high-end, intelligent and green development.
The country's consumer electronics industry has recently rolled out a steady stream of new models. A smartphone now features multiple advances in high-end manufacturing, such as a domestically developed memory chip used commercially in a flagship phone for the first time, offering lower power consumption and faster data transfer, or a flexible screen capable of withstanding millions of folds without breaking.
"Ultra-thin glass, only one-third the thickness of a human hair, is supported by more than 10 core technologies, and the entire chain is independently controllable," said Qi Yanjie, deputy director of the research and development center of a high-tech enterprise in east China's Wuhu City, while introducing a smartphone screen.
China's advanced manufacturing industry has continued to expand this year. In August, the added value of high-tech manufacturing and digital product manufacturing by industrial firms above the designated size increased 16.7 percent and 15.7 percent year on year, respectively. New growth drivers contributed more than 60 percent to growth in industrial output above the designated size, becoming a key engine driving the industrial economy.
Production methods have also been upgraded. At an intelligent manufacturing base in south China's Shenzhen City, nearly 30,000 orders pour in every day, with about 90 percent involving personalized customizations.
The base handles these orders using an intelligent system that increases efficiency and reduces costs. "Our intelligent production scheduling system can coordinate the overall scheduling of 300 million materials, and can basically complete the process from order intake to product shipping within 24 hours," said Liu Chuchun, head of the intelligent manufacturing base.
To date, China has built more than 56,000 basic-level smart factories, and artificial intelligence technologies have been adopted by over 30 percent of industrial enterprises above the designated size.
China's rising high-end manufacturing momentum not only strengthens the foundations of the domestic industrial economy, but also provides strong impetus for exports.
In August, the exports value of industrial enterprises above the designated size increased 11.1 percent year on year, maintaining double-digit growth for five consecutive months, with high-end equipment products serving as the main engine of foreign trade growth. "High-tech products such as photovoltaic modules, wind power equipment, high-end machine tools and industrial robots have become new calling cards for Chinese manufacturing going global, effectively contributing to technological progress, industrial upgrading and green transformation in other countries," said Ji Jianjun, a research fellow with the Institute for International Economic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission.
China's manufacturing sector moves further up value chain
