China's five-year blueprint set to foster emerging, future industries

China's outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), adopted on Thursday, maps out a systematic path toward high-quality development by building new growth drivers through the fostering of emerging and future industries.

In the latest five-year blueprint, the emerging strategic industries China will nurture have been expanded to include new sectors like intelligent connected new-energy vehicles (NEVs) and robotics. It also outlines plans to establish emerging strategic industry clusters tailored to local conditions, each with its own distinctive features and complementary strengths.

Experts suggested that this marks a shift for emerging industries -- from isolated breakthroughs to scaled, clustered development.

"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we aim to further promote and expand emerging industries in both scale and quality. The development of industrial clusters is a clear reflection of economies of scale. Building on the existing foundation, this will further sharpen the international competitiveness of our emerging industries. The blueprint's emphasis on new application scenarios and innovative business models will also help steer these industries toward a higher quality of development," said Wei Qijia, a researcher at the State Information Center, which is under China's National Development and Reform Commission.

The plan also identifies key frontiers to reach, including quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G. Moving beyond mere technological roadmaps, it also stresses the need to build a full-chain incubation system for future industries.

"This forward-looking approach reflects a keen sense of foresight. The plan introduces mechanisms for identifying and monitoring emerging industries and making dynamic adjustments accordingly. If a particular new area or arena shows potential to foster emerging future technologies, it needs to be identified as early as possible. The blueprint's specific references to initiatives such as pilot zones for future industries and research institutes dedicated to their development also signal an important direction in terms of working methodology -- providing clear guidance on how to nurture the industries of the future," he said.

China's five-year blueprint set to foster emerging, future industries

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel to pave the way for the country's independence and sovereignty during a solidarity visit to Lebanon.

Guterres arrived in Beirut on Friday for a visit of solidarity with the people of Lebanon, during which he met with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and other senior Lebanese officials.

Declaring himself "a friend of the Lebanese people," Guterres called for an immediate end to the Lebanese suffering and an end to a "war they didn't choose."

"My appeal to both parties is: Let's do an immediate ceasefire. Let's stop this enormous suffering of the Lebanese people, and we will do our best to make sure that with a ceasefire, there will be serious negotiations to guarantee that Lebanon will see its sovereignty, its territorial integrity respected," he said.

Guterres announced on the same day a 325-million-U.S.-dollar emergency humanitarian appeal for Lebanon at a press conference in Beirut. The appeal aims to provide food, water, healthcare, education, and protection for displaced families over the next three months.

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 has reached 773, with 1,933 injuries, the country's Public Health Ministry said Friday.

Since the launch of the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran on Feb 28, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have sharply escalated, with Hezbollah firing rocket barrages at northern Israeli communities and Israel striking sites in southern and eastern Lebanon, which it says house Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure.

UN chief urges Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire during solidarity visit to Lebanon