China unveils plan to boost green equipment manufacturing

BEIJING - China has issued comprehensive guidelines to accelerate the high-quality development of its environmental protection equipment manufacturing sector, targeting global competitiveness in the green technology market.

The document was released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the State Administration for Market Regulation. It aims to drive the industry's sustained growth and transition toward low-carbon and circular development.

By 2027, advanced environmental technologies will see their market share expand significantly, and key industrial chain gaps in core equipment will be addressed, per the guidelines.

By 2030, the sector is expected to achieve full self-reliance in technology and solidify China's leadership in global markets, pivoting from traditional pollution control to holistic green and circular solutions.

The guidelines map 12 measures across priority areas such as tech innovation, promotion of advanced technologies, cultivation of new growth drivers, and industry ecosystem improvement.

Key plans include a three-year campaign to upgrade major environmental equipment, and the deeper integration of 5G and artificial intelligence into product design, pollution treatment and environmental monitoring.

China's environmental protection equipment industry has expanded steadily, with annual compound growth nearing 6 percent since the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), industry data shows.

In 2024, the sector's output hit 920 billion yuan ($128.32 billion).