The high-level economic work conference held in Beijing at the end of the year sent a key signal.

With the mention of the "Income Growth Plan for Urban and Rural Residents," the importance of the related "county-level economy" has also significantly increased.

From the perspective of investment promotion, county-level investment attraction has long been a hot topic.

A frequently cited approach is to adapt to local conditions and develop one industry per county. This meeting also emphasized “developing new-quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions.”

This renewed focus indirectly reveals some practical challenges encountered in local implementation.

01 Adapting to Local Conditions: Striking the Right Balance

Although high-quality development has become a consensus, in the performance evaluation systems of some localities, hard indicators such as GDP growth, fixed-asset investment, and fiscal revenue still account for the lion’s share.

This leads to a preference for “quick-win” projects in investment promotion, and even the blind replication of “successful models” from other regions, while neglecting local resource endowments, industrial foundations, and market capacity.

In terms of industrial selection, some regions are “reviving the light industry trend,” simplistically equating “high-quality” with developing strategic emerging industries while treating traditional industries as synonymous with “backwardness.”

Alternatively, there is a tendency to “favor the new and reject the old,” with various ideas being cloaked in the guise of “new-quality productive forces.”

Regardless of whether their own industrial foundations are sufficient, they follow trends and chase hot topics.

Seeing others develop chips or pursue the “new three sectors,” they rush in en masse.

“An orange grown south of the Huai River is an orange; grown north of it, it becomes a zizyphus.” The state has repeatedly emphasized that developing new-quality productive forces must be grounded in local realities.

We must follow the laws of economic development, identify our own strengths, and pursue differentiated development.

Developing new-quality productive forces does not mean neglecting or abandoning traditional industries; we must prevent a rush to follow trends and the formation of bubbles.

On the one hand, we must distinguish between future industries, emerging industries, and the revitalization of traditional industries. How do we strike the right balance?

On the other hand, we must clearly understand our own “small plot of land,” assess whether a sector aligns with our actual needs, and determine if it is suitable for us.

Most emerging industries require substantial capital and human resources and are better suited for development in cities where universities, human capital, and cutting-edge industries are concentrated.

For example, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Changsha, Xi’an, and Chengdu. Sectors such as solar energy, wind energy, and data storage have strict geographical requirements.

The solar energy industry, for instance, is well-suited to taking root in the vast deserts and arid regions of the western part of the country.

Xinjiang, with its abundant sunshine, has attracted many energy companies to establish operations there. The strategic deployment of future industries requires national support.

In areas with suitable conditions, collaboration with relevant enterprises, research institutes, and national laboratories is encouraged.

At the county level, developing industries tailored to local conditions must also take into account local resource endowments, geographical advantages, and industrial foundations to identify the right investment priorities.

It is evident that policy support has been provided at both the national and local levels.

The central government has clearly outlined a “one-county-one-policy” approach, allocating 15.6 billion yuan in special funds by 2025 to support county-level industrial clusters, and requiring each county to cultivate 1–2 distinctive leading industries. Guangdong provides preferential land quotas for county-level specialty industrial clusters, while Chongqing tailors differentiated development plans for each district and county.

How can we measure the effectiveness of a tailored approach? It often comes down to whether we can achieve maximum benefits and long-term returns with minimal investment.

Whether it involves “creating something out of nothing” to pioneer new sectors or “innovating within existing frameworks” to revitalize traditional industries, the key lies in coordinating resources, leveraging local conditions, capitalizing on strengths while mitigating weaknesses, and identifying industries that align with local characteristics.

02 Identifying Comparative Advantages to Change Lanes and Overtake

Different types of counties and districts have distinct priorities in investment promotion.

Major industrial counties, often the “vanguard” of the county economy, primarily build upon their existing industrial foundation to expand, focusing on attracting projects that can drive the upgrading of traditional industries.

For "super-strong counties" like Kunshan and Jiangyin—with GDPs exceeding 200 billion yuan—which possess substantial resources and strong capabilities, investment promotion should target strategic emerging industries and move toward the high-end of the industrial chain. The focus should be on engaging with innovative projects, using high-quality initiatives to drive industrial upgrading.

Counties surrounding major cities primarily engage in collaborative investment promotion, catering to the demand for high-end industrial support from central cities.

Changfeng County in Anhui, for instance, has leveraged the momentum of Hefei’s new energy vehicle industry cluster to prioritize attracting upstream and downstream supporting enterprises. By 2024, its new energy vehicle production surged to 950,000 units, making it the top-producing county in the country.

Resource-rich counties should leverage their natural endowments to effectively utilize these resources, transforming them into pillar industries that underpin the local economy.

For example, Guixi City in Jiangxi, home to the Jiangxi Copper Guixi Smelter—the largest in Asia and the second-largest globally—has leveraged its copper resources to develop related industries into a sector exceeding 200 billion yuan in scale.

Some may argue that these counties mostly possess locational or resource advantages, limiting their reference value.

In that case, let’s turn our attention to Lianshui County in Huai’an, Jiangsu. This county transformed from an agricultural county with a per capita GDP less than half the national average into Huai’an’s first county to rank among the nation’s top 100.

Originally planning to reach the top 100 within five years, it achieved this goal in just three years, doubling its total industrial output value. Analyzing the development path behind this success reveals that it hinges on adapting to local conditions and developing distinctive industries.

First, they chose the right industrial direction. Aligning with the national “low-carbon and eco-friendly” policy, they focused specifically on two promising sectors: new energy and new materials.

Leveraging advantages such as ample available land and convenient transportation—including air, rail, water, and road networks—the county attracted major projects and large enterprises. Next came the study of industrial chains.

Through a “chain leader + flagship enterprise” strategy, they mapped out the industrial landscape and explored pathways driven by either flagship enterprises leading the way and chain leaders following, or chain leaders taking the lead and flagship enterprises following. The focus was on attracting chain leaders and flagship enterprises.

To ensure smoother industrial implementation, we will rationally organize industrial parks by planning “one core development zone plus three specialty industrial parks,” each with its own distinct positioning.

The industrial park near the port will focus on new materials industries requiring bulk cargo transportation; the park near the airport will focus on new energy and high-end equipment industries that rely on transportation and logistics; the park with a renowned winery will specialize in green food production; and the core development zone will focus on labor-intensive industries such as textiles and electronics.

Every industry can find a suitable location for development. We will follow the industrial chain, prioritize technological innovation, and pursue a strategy of selective investment attraction.

We will prioritize assisting enterprises with technological innovation, leverage advantages such as transportation and land resources, and provide comprehensive support services to technology companies, enabling them to commence production smoothly and grow steadily.

At the same time, we will attract new enterprises from outside while nurturing local enterprises.

Simply put, by choosing the right direction, identifying leading enterprises, planning industrial parks effectively, and fully supporting business development, we can build up industries step by step.

For frontline investment promoters, the key to county-level investment promotion and developing industries tailored to local conditions lies in defining a clear positioning, leveraging local comparative advantages, playing the “distinctive features” card, and maximizing both resource utilization and economic returns.

By tailoring strategies to local conditions and leveraging strengths in investment promotion, even small counties can “grow” major industries.

A hundred boats race, a thousand sails compete; we must stand at the forefront and ride the waves. The art of economic development requires both adhering to rules and maintaining the right direction, as well as adapting to the times and seizing opportunities.

As the 15th Five-Year Plan is about to begin, it is all the more important to coordinate the big picture with local specifics, manage division of labor and cooperation effectively, and strike a balance between competing for positions and adopting complementary roles.

Only when industrial development is truly tailored to local conditions can we unblock the “capillaries” of the economy and inject more fresh, vital energy into local development.