Jiangxi eyes scenario-based industrial collaborations

This project represents more than just another investment from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It exemplifies a paradigm shift in what Jiangxi now offers technology companies. Beyond traditional incentives like land, labor and policy support, the province now provides real-world testing grounds for emerging products.

This strategy was the focal point of the 2026 Jiangxi-Greater Bay Area Economic and Trade Week, held across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in May. Marking Jiangxi's first major cross-regional trade and investment push in the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), the initiative featured a main event, 19 themed activities and a series of targeted investment promotion visits.

The most notable shift during the event was a new emphasis on application scenarios. At a supply-demand matchmaking event for application scenarios in Jiangxi's emerging industries in Shenzhen on May 21, the cities of Jiujiang, Ganzhou and Shangrao, as well as the Ganjiang New Area, released 151 scenarios spanning artificial intelligence, intelligent manufacturing, brain-computer interfaces, the low-altitude economy, smart cities, government services and cultural tourism. Rather than conventional investment pitches, these offerings were designed to address a critical question for tech firms: where can a product be tested, data collected, early adopters found, and initial orders scaled into broader markets?

"Scenarios act as a bridge connecting technology with industry, linking research and development to the market," said Chen Zhimin, a second-level inspector at the Department of Commerce of Jiangxi Province. Chen emphasized the province's desire for companies to bring their innovations to Jiangxi to find suitable testing and application fields.

Huang Aiqun, director of the Jiangxi Industrial and Information Technology Integration Promotion Center, said the event aimed to align frontier technologies with Jiangxi's industrial needs in sectors like optoelectronic information, solid-state batteries and embodied intelligence through a model of open scenarios, demand release and enterprise roadshows.

While many new technologies have graduated from the laboratory, they require real-world conditions to achieve widespread adoption. A robot needs a factory floor; a brain-computer interface company requires hospital wards; a low-altitude economy startup depends on airspace and logistics routes; and an optical sensing firm needs industrial parks and energy facilities.

Consequently, Jiangxi has integrated these practical scenarios directly into its investment promotion strategy. The Shenzhen event brought together executives from 35 listed companies, high-tech enterprises and specialized "little giant" firms. Though representing diverse industries, their needs frequently overlapped: they all required testing grounds, technological refinement and access to initial customers.