China to create 100 famous consumer brands by 2028

China plans to cultivate 100 renowned consumer brands by 2028 as part of its strategy to promote high-quality development in its historic classic industries, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced on Monday.

Vice Minister Xie Yuansheng made the declaration at a news briefing in Beijing focused on advancing China’s historic classic industries.

These sectors include traditional industries such as silk, tea, porcelain, traditional Chinese medicine, brewing, arts and crafts, and the "Four Treasures of the Study" (the writing brush, the inkstick, the paper, and the inkstone). Collectively, these industries reflect the rich cultural heritage of China and are regarded as national treasures.

The ministry, in collaboration with various departments, has released the "Opinions on Promoting the High-Quality Development of Historic Classic Industries," which outlines specific targets: By 2028, to cultivate 50 leading enterprises with revenues exceeding 10 billion yuan, establish 100 well-known Chinese consumer brands, and develop several specialty industry clusters valued at over 100 billion yuan; by 2030, to foster world-class enterprises and brands, propelling these historic industries toward the mid-to-high end of the global value chain.

"We are currently identifying national resources for historic classic industries by creating a matrix of renowned Chinese consumer brands and developing an industrial distribution map, while encouraging local governments to expedite the cultivation of distinct and advantageous production areas. Meanwhile, we are also supporting the establishment of dedicated exhibition and sales zones for classic brands in key commercial districts and cultural venues," Xie said.

According to preliminary statistics, China's historic classic industries consist of about 25,000 industrial enterprises above the designated size, employing nearly 3.5 million people and generating annual revenues of about 8 trillion yuan. These industries have emerged as crucial drivers of local economic development, job creation, and cultural preservation.

China to create 100 famous consumer brands by 2028

Journalists must exercise caution when using artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure it strengthens rather than undermines the core values of their profession, a senior Malaysian media executive said Saturday at the Asia‑Pacific Media Forum in south China's Shenzhen.

Datin Paduka Nur‑ul Afida Kamaludin, chief executive officer of the Malaysian National News Agency Bernama, stressed that accuracy, balance, fairness,transparency and human accountability must remain at the heart of journalism.

The forum brought together more than 400 representatives from media, think tanks and government sectors across 42 countries and regions, as well as United Nations agencies and other international organizations.

While AI offers journalists an efficient tool, it also carries the risk of generating misinformation and deepfakes on an unprecedented scale, Nur‑ul Afida Kamaludin told the forum.

She later highlighted the same point in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), stressing the need for caution in adopting the technology.

"AI is bringing very rapid transformation to the media world, and especially among us, the journalists, but at the same time, despite using it as a tool to ease the process of our daily work, I believe that the journalists should also be extra careful using AI in their work," she said.

Looking ahead to the 53rd anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia next year, Nur-ul Afida called on the media to play a greater role in strengthening people-to-people ties.

"From a media perspective, I believe we need to focus more on the people-to-people relations. We have to produce more stories on the ordinary people, because that is the human interest stories that will attract our readers, our audiences. Let's look forward for a better relationship among the people and between the government, as well as companies between China and Malaysia," she said.

Malaysian National News Agency CEO calls for responsible AI use