To the People’s Governments of all cities and counties, and all departments and directly affiliated agencies of the Provincial Government:
To implement the work arrangements of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government regarding the cultivation and development of county-level distinctive industrial clusters (bases) (hereinafter referred to as “clusters”), and to promote the high-quality development of the county-level economy across the province, the following guiding opinions are hereby issued with the approval of the Provincial Government.
I. General Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee. We will adhere to the clustered development of county-level specialty industrial clusters, with the objectives of enhancing the scale and level of clusters, their innovation capabilities, synergy within industrial chains, and brand influence. We will focus on high-end, intelligent, green, and international development as our main directions, utilize the “Five Ones” promotion mechanism as our operational tool, and adopt a “corps-style, positional warfare” approach to follow the growth path of “leading enterprises— industrial chains — industrial clusters — industrial ecosystems,” vigorously attract and cultivate more specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises, gazelle enterprises, unicorn enterprises, listed companies, and leading enterprises in industrial chains. We will strive to develop these clusters into a reserve force for various major industrial bases and a key engine for high-quality county-level development, providing solid support for the comprehensive construction of a modern and beautiful Anhui.
II. Work Objectives
By 2025, we aim to cultivate 35 clusters with annual operating revenues of 10 billion yuan or more, including 3 clusters with revenues of 50 billion yuan or more and approximately 10 clusters with revenues between 30 billion and 50 billion yuan, with the total operating revenue of all clusters exceeding 1 trillion yuan;For manufacturing clusters, we aim to foster 2,400 high-tech enterprises and 1,200 specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises at the provincial level or above, achieving full coverage of provincial-level or higher R&D institutions and science and technology innovation service platforms; cultivate 200 leading enterprises serving as cluster anchors and 1,000 supporting “partner” enterprises across various industrial and supply chains; and strive to foster approximately 10 clusters with high market share and reputation nationwide.
By 2027, we aim to foster more than 45 clusters with annual revenue of 10 billion yuan and one cluster with annual revenue of 100 billion yuan, with the total revenue of all clusters exceeding 1.4 trillion yuan; the level of industrial foundation advancement and industrial chain modernization will be significantly improved, forming a group of key products with core competitiveness, and fostering a group of leading enterprises, “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” small giants, and manufacturing single-champions; significant achievements will be made in the high-quality development of clusters.
By 2030, we aim to ensure that each county (city) cultivates at least one cluster with annual revenue of 10 billion yuan or more, with the number of 100-billion-yuan-level clusters reaching three. The total revenue of all clusters is targeted to exceed 2 trillion yuan, and the total number of distinctive industrial clusters in county-level manufacturing is expected to reach approximately 100. The “Five Ones” promotion mechanism for clusters will be fully established, giving rise to a group of leading enterprises with industry influence and international competitiveness, thereby becoming a vital pillar of the province’s modern industrial system. (See attached charts and tables)
III. Main Tasks
(1) Implement the Cluster Innovation and Development Initiative
1. Attract and Cultivate Leading Enterprises. Actively undertake industrial transfers from regions such as Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, striving to attract and cultivate 2–3 leading enterprises within each cluster that integrate R&D, design, manufacturing, brand marketing, and technical services, and possess core technologies, independent intellectual property rights, and strong competitiveness. Encourage leading enterprises to incorporate supporting partner enterprises into a shared supply chain management system, establish stable collaborative and supporting relationships in supply, production, and sales, build an ecosystem for integrated industrial development, and serve as the “pioneers” of the clusters.(Lead Agencies: Municipal and County People’s Governments; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)
2. Create regional public brands. Promote cooperation between relevant counties (cities) and professional institutions to establish brand service platforms, conduct pilot projects for cluster brand development, and actively apply for brands such as geographical indications and collective trademarks. Support the development of public marketing channels, including cluster exhibition platforms and e-commerce platforms, and actively promote brand publicity and promotion.Support industry organizations in leading enterprises to establish joint marketing channels and improve interfaces regarding standards, technology, quality, and logistics among upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain. Guide enterprises to formulate alliance standards and corporate standards that exceed national and industry standards, thereby enhancing the level of independent intellectual property rights. (Lead units: Municipal and county people’s governments; Cooperating units: Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau)
3. Establish industrial innovation platforms. Relying on cluster enterprises, strive to establish provincial-level or higher innovation platforms such as industrial innovation research institutes, engineering research centers, manufacturing innovation centers, key laboratories, pilot production bases, and testing and inspection platforms, and take the lead in or participate in provincial-level or higher scientific and technological research projects. Support counties (cities) in jointly establishing new R&D institutions with cluster enterprises, universities, and research institutes, striving to achieve “one research institute per industry.”Establish a number of modern industrial colleges and industry-education integration training bases within the clusters, and support enterprises in establishing provincial-level or higher industry-education integration enterprises. Encourage the formation of science and technology innovation outposts on a city-by-city basis, providing support in terms of infrastructure construction, procurement of scientific research equipment, and operational funding. (Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Science and Technology; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial Department of Education, Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau)
(2) Implement the Cluster Digital Transformation Initiative
1. Promote Digital Transformation. Accelerate the enhancement of clusters’ smart manufacturing capabilities, support leading enterprises within clusters in conducting integrated application innovation, and implement demonstration projects for digital transformation. Encourage cluster enterprises to accelerate their migration to cloud and platform services, and promote the adoption of digital software service packages for small, medium, and micro enterprises through industrial internet platforms. Actively strive to establish a number of 5G fully connected factories and smart manufacturing demonstration factories, and prioritize support for cluster enterprises in creating provincial-level smart factories and digital workshops. Support agricultural operators in building digital agricultural factories and advancing the smartification of crop cultivation and animal husbandry.(Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; Municipal and County People’s Governments)
2. Jointly Promote Scenario Innovation. Encourage counties (cities) to focus on enhancing urban functionality, quality, and vitality; fostering innovation in emerging industries; and developing local特色 themes. Coordinate the opening of scenario resources to transform a vast number of scenarios across sectors—including new infrastructure construction, investment promotion, industrial process optimization, smart agriculture, and smart culture and tourism—accelerating their application and iteration within specialized industrial ecosystems, and opening up opportunities for a range of vertical application scenarios.(Lead Agency: Provincial Development and Reform Commission; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Provincial Department of Commerce, Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Provincial Bureau of Data Resources; Municipal and County People’s Governments)
(3) Implement the Green Transformation and Upgrading Action for Industrial Clusters
1. Promote Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction. Improve the dual-control system for energy consumption intensity and total volume to enhance energy utilization efficiency. Accelerate the implementation of the “three-in-one” transformation of coal-fired power units—covering energy conservation and carbon reduction, flexibility upgrades, and heating system improvements. Promote energy efficiency improvements in new infrastructure and foster the development of green data centers. Continue to advance “one-company-one-policy” energy conservation, coal reduction, and carbon reduction diagnostics; fully leverage and utilize policies such as phased-out subsidies and differentiated energy consumption standards; and accelerate the technological transformation of key enterprises to achieve energy conservation and carbon reduction.(Lead Agency: Provincial Development and Reform Commission; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Energy Bureau; Municipal and County People’s Governments)
2. Promote Green Transformation. Advance the deep integration of emerging technologies—such as the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and 5G—with green and low-carbon technologies to accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation of industry. Encourage industrial parks hosting clusters to implement circular economy upgrades and establish eco-industrial parks. Give priority support to cluster enterprises striving to become provincial- or national-level green factories. Construct centralized photovoltaic power generation projects tailored to local conditions and steadily advance rooftop distributed photovoltaic power generation.(Lead Agency: Provincial Development and Reform Commission; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, Provincial Energy Bureau, and municipal and county people’s governments)
(IV) Implementing the Cluster “Going Global” Initiative
1. Integrate into high-level open platforms. Fully leverage the driving effect of free trade zones and linked innovation zones to establish convenient channels for cluster enterprises to “go global,” and promote the integration of clusters into the Yangtze River Delta’s industrial, R&D, and export chains. Support eligible cluster enterprises in launching China-Europe “customized freight trains” to enhance their capacity for opening up. Advance the construction of foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases, support relevant clusters in cooperating with key manufacturers of the “New Three Categories” of products, and strengthen the export competitiveness of advantageous products.Deeply implement the “Anhui Moves the World” overseas expansion initiative and actively organize cluster enterprises to participate in specialized exhibitions both domestically and internationally. Accelerate the construction of provincial-level model logistics parks and cold-chain distribution centers to improve logistics support capabilities and circulation efficiency for clusters. (Lead Agency: Provincial Development and Reform Commission; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Commerce; Municipal and County People’s Governments)
2. Participate in international industrial cooperation. Collaborate with industry associations to provide targeted training on overseas regulations and certification systems; encourage relevant enterprises to conduct product carbon footprint assessments; and strengthen compliance systems for new energy enterprises. Leveraging international industry organizations, overseas missions, multinational corporations, and partner provinces and cities, organize specialized market development activities for clusters to “go global” and “invite foreign partners in.”Encourage enterprises expanding overseas to engage in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, improve overseas marketing and service networks, and introduce new technologies and products. Utilize new foreign trade models such as cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses to strengthen market development along the “Belt and Road” and actively promote the joint construction of Sino-foreign cooperation zones. (Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Commerce; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Foreign Affairs Office; Municipal and County People’s Governments)
IV. Improving Work Mechanisms
(1) Establish the “Five Ones” Promotion Mechanism. County (city) governments shall proactively benchmark against advanced domestic industrial clusters and accelerate the establishment of the “Five Ones” promotion mechanism for clusters, namely: establishing a specialized management body; creating a regional public brand; building an industry association (or technology alliance); forming a high-end R&D center (or high-level modern service industry innovation cluster); and developing a complete industrial chain.Relevant provincial departments and municipal governments of prefecture-level cities shall strengthen guidance, focus on addressing shortcomings in the “Five Ones” framework, and assist relevant clusters in attracting resources such as innovation, projects, public goods, and third-party services to support high-quality cluster development. (Lead Units: Municipal and County People’s Governments; Cooperating Units: Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Provincial Department of Civil Affairs)
(2) Strengthen Provincial-Level Empowerment. At the provincial level, a select group of clusters will be chosen annually for demonstration and cultivation, with each batch undergoing a three-year cultivation period. The Provincial Emerging Industries Promotion Group and relevant industry authorities shall guide counties (cities) in formulating cluster development plans and provide specialized industrial matching platforms for clusters during various high-level investment promotion activities.Continuous support will be provided in areas such as major productive capacity planning, infrastructure construction, industry-academia-research collaboration, resource allocation, financial services, and fund guidance to foster the growth of relevant clusters into national and provincial strategic emerging industry clusters, national-level SME specialty industry clusters, advanced manufacturing clusters, demonstration bases for new industrialization, Torch specialty industry bases, and demonstration zones for the integrated development of cultural and tourism industries.Deepen the "output-per-mu" reform, accelerate the revitalization and utilization of low-efficiency industrial land and idle factory buildings, and prioritize support for cluster development in terms of factors such as forest land in use. (Lead Agency: Office of the Provincial Emerging Industries Promotion Group; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Provincial Department of Commerce, Provincial Department of Natural Resources, Provincial Local Financial Administration Bureau, Provincial Forestry Bureau; Municipal and County People’s Governments)
(3) Emphasize the Primary Responsibility of Cities and Counties. Municipal governments at the prefecture level shall coordinate the high-quality development of clusters within their jurisdictions, concentrating resources such as land, energy consumption, and pollutant emissions to support the enhancement of cluster competitiveness, industrial chain driving capacity, innovation capabilities, and growth potential. County (city) governments are the primary entities responsible for cluster development; they shall, in accordance with the “one cluster, one policy” requirement, create tailored policy packages for each cluster, formulate annual lists of key tasks, and promote sustained growth in scale.(Lead Agencies: Municipal and County People’s Governments; Cooperating Agencies: Office of the Provincial Emerging Industries Promotion Group, Provincial Department of Finance)
(4) Improve the Selection and Cultivation Mechanism. The Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism shall, in accordance with their respective functions, issue selection and recognition measures for modern service, manufacturing, agricultural, and cultural and tourism industry clusters. They shall conduct the selection, recognition, and dynamic adjustment of county-level characteristic industrial clusters, and support counties (cities) in adjusting the primary focus of clusters based on relevant plans and the “dual recruitment and dual attraction” schemes for emerging industries,adjust the primary focus of their clusters, and support counties (cities) with large economic scale and whose clusters have ranked among the top in annual comprehensive evaluations for three consecutive years to cultivate new successor clusters. The Provincial Development and Reform Commission shall, in conjunction with relevant provincial units, strengthen coordination, improve comprehensive evaluation and statistical monitoring methods, promptly coordinate and resolve difficulties encountered in cluster development, and ensure the implementation of target tasks. (Lead Units: Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism)
General Office of the People’s Government of Anhui Province
August 16, 2024
