Future industries

Shizuishan's advances are seen as an example of Ningxia promoting its economy by turning to new quality productive forces.

In recent years, Ningxia has been promoting industrial transformation and upgrading, and has cultivated a group of manufacturing champions focusing on basic industrial technologies, basic components and key materials.

"Ningxia will cultivate and develop emerging and future industries such as AI, intelligent manufacturing, hydrogen energy and new energy storage and semiconductor materials. The number of enterprises, output value proportion and project investment are all expected to more than double," said Li Yuhua, director of the Regional Development and Reform Commission.

Ningxia's GDP growth reached 6.6 percent last year, ranking fifth in the country. In 2023, the rapid growth of new materials and clean energy industries drove a year-on-year increase of 44.5 percent in the value added of high-tech manufacturing enterprises with a designated scale in the entire region, data from the commission showed.