China to build 40 manufacturing innovation centers by 2025

A Chinese worker assembles a new energy car on the assembly line at an auto plant in Zouping county, East China's Shandong province, Dec 16, 2014. [Photo / IC]

BEIJING - China will set up around 40 national manufacturing innovation centers by 2025, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Tuesday.

The centers will be devoted to information technology, intelligent manufacturing, new materials and biomedicine. Around 15 will be established by 2020.

The MIIT has promised to improve the intellectual property management system to promote cooperation and profit sharing between centers.

To build a better manufacturing sector, China came up with the "Made in China 2025" plan last year, to shift the country away from low-end manufacturing to more value-added production.

China's value-added industrial output grew 6.1 percent in 2015, lower than the 8.3-percent growth in 2014. Manufacturing output expanded 7 percent, 2.4 percentage points lower than the previous year.