In the blink of an eye, there is less than a month left in 2025.

This marks the final countdown to the conclusion of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the opening bell for the 15th Five-Year Plan.

The state is setting priorities and charting the course for the industrial system over the next five years.

At the local level, regions must not only follow suit but also identify their comparative advantages.

We can see that the national unified market is gradually becoming more standardized, and investment promotion methods are constantly evolving—such as scenario-based investment promotion and zero-rent incentives.

While these methods must be applied flexibly, we must also identify the “stumbling blocks”—where exactly are the bottlenecks?

We conducted research across multiple regions nationwide and analyzed local case studies, discovering that three key dimensions are fundamental: industrial foundation, absorption of development platforms, and investment promotion management incentives and team expertise.

01 Three Dimensions, Seven Types of Issues

First, regarding the industrial foundation, this is primarily divided into two categories: industrial structure and industrial direction.

Regarding industrial structure, the primary issue is imbalance, where traditional industries play the “leading role” while emerging industries serve as “supporting actors.”

For example, in Hebei, energy-intensive industries such as steel, coal, and building materials previously accounted for the lion’s share, with industrial value-added reaching as high as 50%, and GDP once ranked among the top in the country.

However, as national environmental policies tightened, the province was forced to cut steel production capacity. Since emerging industries failed to step in promptly to fill the gap, economic growth slowed.

Alternatively, the province failed to identify its dominant industries with clear competitive advantages, blurring the lines between primary and secondary sectors and failing to distinguish between new and old industries.

In another scenario, enterprises are predominantly concentrated in the initial processing stages of the industrial chain—such as food processing and simple assembly—lacking projects involving deep processing, resulting in low overall value-added.

In terms of industrial direction, one category features vague positioning and planning, with unclear core sectors.

Some localities simply follow provincial or municipal plans, targeting 6–7 broad industrial categories such as food, electronics and information technology, machinery and equipment, and auto parts. By spreading themselves too thin, they lose sight of their priorities.

Another category involves a lack of clarity regarding specific sub-sectors.

A single major industrial category can be broken down into 4–5 levels of sub-sectors. Take biomedicine as an example: it includes sub-industries such as biopharmaceuticals, chemical drugs, and traditional Chinese medicine; further breakdown reveals segments like traditional Chinese herbal slices.

Without clarity on which segment to target, investment promotion efforts lack a starting point. Turning to the issue of industrial park absorption, the main challenges lie in supply-demand mismatches, spatial planning, and factory specifications.

The difficulty in clearing inventory lies in “incorrect construction and inaccurate configuration.”

Some factory buildings were originally constructed by real estate developers who focused solely on land-use efficiency, resulting in ever-taller structures.

In reality, some projects simply cannot—or do not wish to—occupy upper floors.

For example, large-scale equipment manufacturing requires vast, open-plan spaces with high load-bearing capacity; many enterprises also have concerns regarding freight handling on upper floors, spatial modifications, vibration, and fire safety requirements.

The disconnect between factory construction and industrial planning already makes absorption difficult.

What’s even more troubling is that industrial park planning cycles typically span 3 to 5 years. Projects that were planned but not yet started must still proceed according to schedule.

With existing factories not yet fully occupied and new ones waiting to be delivered, the pressure has effectively doubled.

Industrial park spatial planning is not simply about constructing a few factory buildings; it must also balance production and living needs, typically encompassing 3 to 5 types of functional spaces.

For example, what is the appropriate ratio of factory space, office buildings, and talent apartments?

From the ratio of office buildings to factory space down to the construction standards for factories, every detail must be accounted for.

When companies come to inspect the site, if they find no supporting facilities in the vicinity—seeing only the buildings in the neighboring park across the way—and realize that even basic needs like dining, shopping, and accommodation for employees are problematic, they’ll simply shake their heads and move on to the next park.

Take factory specifications, for instance: the key is designing specific parameters tailored to a particular industry.

For instance, what are the number of floors, floor-to-ceiling height, and load-bearing capacity?

How wide do the roads need to be for freight trucks, and what is the required turning radius?

How will production equipment be transported into elevators and workshops? Will crane lifting be required?

How will water, electricity, gas, and internet infrastructure be configured?

If construction begins without clarifying these issues, even if the building is completed, companies may find the dimensions and height insufficient and will be unwilling to set up operations there.

Once the concrete and steel are set, there’s no going back—you’ll either have to spend a fortune tearing it down and rebuilding, or adapt to the existing specifications and target industries that fit the space.

Finally, there is the issue of investment promotion management incentives and team expertise.

In some regions, despite having established investment promotion teams, they remain trapped within “departmental silos,” where bureaucratic thinking overshadows market acumen.

Compounded by a lack of market-oriented incentive mechanisms, this leads to a “hands-off” attitude and lax project follow-up.

Furthermore, whether in medium-to-large-scale industrial parks or development zones, teams often need to track multiple project updates and manage numerous contracts.

Without systematic data organization and analysis, various issues can easily arise.

For example, risks may go unnoticed, negotiation progress may be unclear, or contract information may not be synchronized. Furthermore, professionalism is the foundation of an investment promotion specialist’s confidence. Without understanding the upstream and downstream dynamics of the industrial chain, the ability to assess market trends, or the capacity to grasp corporate needs, one will struggle to engage effectively during negotiations—and no amount of enthusiasm can bridge that gap. Now that the main issues have been identified, how should they be addressed? We might find answers in the broad outlines of the 15th Five-Year Plan and the official document *Guidelines for High-Quality Development of Industrial Parks*.

02 Analyze Specific Problems Specifically

Based on the overarching direction of national policies, let’s combine them with local realities to find solutions one by one.

First, at the industrial level, conduct a thorough diagnosis and use a four-step assessment method to get a clear picture of the current situation.

First, examine the regional type: is it a leading region? A region with potential? Or a foundational region?

Next, examine the industrial structure: Which sector—primary, secondary, or tertiary—dominates, and which is growing the fastest?

Then, we examine the region’s location and surrounding urban clusters to determine if collaborative development is feasible.

Finally, we assess our resources to identify any standout advantages, such as abundant land, well-developed ports, or convenient transportation.

Once a preliminary assessment is in place, proceed with industrial research and planning to clarify the direction.

The "Guidelines for High-Quality Development of Industrial Parks," jointly issued by two ministries, recommend limiting the number of leading industries to no more than three—shifting from trying to attract everything to focusing on key sectors.

The key is to strictly limit the number of leading industries. Industrial parks should compete on their unique characteristics and prioritize concentrating resources in areas of strength. For industrial research, we must look beyond local boundaries to thoroughly understand the current industrial landscape, foundational conditions, and enterprise distribution within the region.

Identify which industrial chains are performing well—to strengthen or extend them—and assess whether there is potential for developing emerging industries.

At the same time, analyze the actual situation of enterprises: where do their core operations fall within the industrial chain?

For upstream raw materials, can they be sourced locally, or do they need to be procured across provinces or even imported?

What is the distribution and demand of downstream customers?

Listen to the voices of established enterprises: what core advantages do they value, and what considerations drove their decisions?

Are there plans for new products or technological pathways in the future? What are their requirements regarding facilities such as factory buildings?

With robust project data to support the analysis, investment preferences can be assessed more comprehensively and accurately.

For example, when the GuChuan Industrial Research Institute develops industrial plans for the regions it serves, it combines its investment promotion big data to conduct analyses, focusing on several key dimensions:

The total volume of projects invested in the local area over the past 3–5 years; Enterprises’ preferences regarding facilities such as factory buildings and land;

The primary source provinces and cities of projects—whether Shanghai, Zhejiang, or Guangdong;

and the investment momentum across major industrial sectors (such as electronics and information technology, or biopharmaceuticals), to determine which industries are most attracted to the area.

Secondly, to address the challenge of industrial park absorption, we integrate industrial research with facility planning and design from the very beginning—a model now commonly referred to as “P+EPC+O”: from preliminary planning (incorporating actual enterprise needs into the design phase) to development and construction (building new or renovating existing parks), and on to post-construction operations (investment promotion, property management, and supporting services for enterprise operations), the entire process is guided by enterprise needs.

By prioritizing operational needs upfront—ensuring industries follow a predetermined direction and facilities are “customized to demand”—subsequent tenant recruitment can be effectively aligned, thereby minimizing vacancy risks to the greatest extent possible.

Of course, industrial foundations and economic levels vary across different regions.

From a regional development perspective, it is necessary to identify targeted solutions based on the characteristics of the local industrial economy.

Next comes the practical phase of investment promotion.

In terms of management, there must be a mechanism with clear division of labor, well-defined responsibilities, and efficient coordination to drive the investment promotion efforts of frontline staff.

First, set overarching goals—specifying annual and quarterly targets for total investment, number of enterprises, and the proportion of target industries—then break down these tasks by region and sector. Incorporate metrics such as production commencement, renewal rates, and output value and tax revenue into performance evaluations to provide frontline staff with a clear direction.

The key is “alignment between top and bottom.” Local leaders should take the lead in conducting site visits and participating in final negotiations, using their personal commitment to drive frontline execution.

When the volume of projects is too large to manage manually, leverage digital tools to synchronize information on negotiation progress and contract details, promptly identify bottlenecks and potential risks, and ensure management precision matches the pace of investment promotion.

Finally, whether enterprises are willing to come and whether they stay depends on the professionalism of the investment promotion team.

Through specialized training in industry analysis, project screening, and policy interpretation, we can address capability gaps and help investment promotion staff build trust more quickly during negotiations.

Precise matching of factory facilities and timely resolution of various corporate issues will demonstrate the local government’s sincerity.

High-quality project establishment begins with significant investment in the investment promotion process.

Build trust through professionalism, attract enterprises with local advantages, and rely on service to ensure projects are successfully attracted, established, and thrive.

In Closing

A single problem is easy to solve, but multiple challenges intertwined become a thorny issue.

Clearing these intertwined challenges one by one requires not only accumulated investment promotion experience but also a vast portfolio of projects, as well as strong industrial research and team management capabilities.

With 16 years of deep expertise in investment promotion, GuChuan United has partnered with hundreds of governments and accumulated millions of project resources, developing a comprehensive industrial development solution characterized by “clear vision, precise targeting, successful implementation, effective operations, digital efficiency, professional excellence, and management-driven execution.”

From thoroughly understanding industrial strengths and weaknesses, to analyzing project data to amplify local advantages, to using digital tools to improve project follow-up efficiency, and finally distilling practical experience into systematic training courses while providing market-oriented management references—we inject momentum into regional industrial and economic development from multiple dimensions.

With the 15th Five-Year Plan drawing near, regions are accelerating their development—there is no time to waste. A thriving industry leads to a thriving economy. When investment promotion is executed effectively and targeted accurately, the economy gains momentum. Only through precise efforts and sustained dedication can we inject a continuous source of momentum into local development.