BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- In the vast cotton fields of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which produces 90 percent of the country's cotton, a technological revolution is transforming the industry from planting to harvest.
Unmanned precision seeders equipped with China's home-grown BeiDou navigation system now traverse the fields, following pre-set routes to plant seeds with unprecedented accuracy. These advanced machines simultaneously lay drip irrigation tapes and plastic mulch, achieving full mechanization of the planting process.
This innovative approach not only saves over 50 percent of cotton seeds compared to traditional methods but also improves land utilization and facilitates subsequent mechanized field operations and harvesting.
In Yuli County, Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bayingolin, a national high-quality cotton base, the once-bustling harvest season this year saw fields nearly devoid of farmers. Instead, large cotton pickers shuttle back and forth, efficiently gathering the crop.
The widespread adoption of agricultural machinery, including plant protection drones, self-driving tractors and cotton pickers, has ushered in an era of full mechanization and intelligent farming in Xinjiang's cotton industry. This transformation is not only boosting productivity but also helping farmers reduce costs and increase efficiency, exemplifying China's strategy of developing new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions.
As 2024 comes to a close, new quality productive forces have emerged as a key phrase in China, topping popular term lists. This concept, along with the Chinese character "zhi" for "intelligence," reflects China's focus on innovation and economic transformation. These linguistic choices highlight the country's progress in advancing technology and sustainable development across various sectors.
China's vast and diverse landscape has fostered a rich array of agricultural specialties, each leveraging local advantages to carve out competitive niches. From Xinjiang's premium cotton to the fertile black soil of northeast China breadbasket, these regional strengths highlight China's agricultural prowess.
Notably, southern island province of Hainan is developing itself into a "Silicon Valley of Seeds," which exemplifies the country's commitment to agricultural innovation, creating high-yield crop varieties that strengthen national food security.
China's agriculture has reached a turning point, achieving growth without increasing pollution, according to Jin Wencheng from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. This milestone, known as crossing the Kuznets curve, suggests a shift toward more sustainable development.
Jin attributed this progress to technological advancements, better resource allocation and industrial upgrades.
A tailored approach to agricultural development serves as a microcosm of China's broader strategy to foster new quality productive forces in light of local conditions, demonstrating how regional diversity and technological advancement can be leveraged to drive national economic resilience and growth.
As China charts the economic course for 2025, innovation stays high on the agenda. At the tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference held in early December, the Chinese leadership emphasized efforts to drive the development of new quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation and build a modernized industrial system.
This strategy is evident across diverse regions. In the east, Qingdao's Laoshan District is focusing on emerging industries like virtual reality and artificial intelligence, building specialized parks and enhancing computing power to drive industrial upgrading.
In the southwest, Bijie City in Guizhou Province is transforming its traditional coal and power industries through intelligent coal mine upgrades and green power plant construction, prioritizing sustainable development.
Meanwhile, in the northeast, Jilin Province is revitalizing its automotive and chemical fiber industries with scientific research, injecting new vitality into regional development.
Technological innovation can give rise to new industries, new models and new drivers of growth, and is a core element in the development of new quality productive forces.
In China's economic hub Shanghai, the push for new quality productive forces is exemplified by its innovative data exchange. The Shanghai Data Exchange (SDE) has emerged as a key player in the growing field of data asset development.
Since its inception, the SDE has seen remarkable growth, with transaction volumes surging from 100 million yuan (about 13.9 million U.S. dollars) in 2022 to 1 billion yuan in 2023, and exceeding 4 billion yuan this year. Meanwhile, the exchange has more than doubled its listed data products, now offering over 4,500 items.
As a central hub of the data economy, the SDE is poised to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. Shanghai's success in this domain highlights the city's commitment to spearheading China's transition toward a more innovation-driven economy.
"New quality productive forces are crucial for China's long-term economic growth," said Liu Chunsheng, an associate professor at the Central University of Finance and Economics.
The forces can drive industrial upgrading and foster emerging industries, optimize economic structures toward high-end development, and leverage new technologies to enhance productivity, injecting momentum into sustained economic growth, Liu added.
China's economic confidence has been bolstered by the robust growth of new quality productive forces, according to Jia Jinjing, a senior researcher at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.
"Next year, large-scale demonstration projects will be launched to showcase the application of new technologies, products and scenarios," Jia said, adding that these initiatives are aimed at harnessing technological advancements to drive innovation across diverse industries and scenarios. ■
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