The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology held a press conference on stable growth of the raw materials industry today. Chang Guowu, Director of the Raw Materials Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Xing Tao, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; Cao Chuanzhen, Deputy Director of the Industry Department of the National Development and Reform Commission; Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce Deputy Director-General Xiao Lu attended the press conference to introduce the work plan for stabilizing growth in four key raw material industries, including petrochemicals, steel, non-ferrous metals, and building materials, and answered questions from reporters. The press conference was hosted by Cheng Xiaoming, first-level inspector (director-level) of the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Cheng Xiaoming：Good afternoon everyone! Welcome to the series of press conferences on the theme of stable industrial growth. Today is the second of the series of press conferences. The theme is to maintain the stable growth of the raw materials industry. In order to implement a series of decisions and arrangements made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council on stabilizing growth, promote the smooth operation of the raw material industry, and accelerate high-quality development, recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in conjunction with 11 departments including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce, studied and formulated the Petrochemical The work plan for stable growth in the four industries of chemicals, steel, nonferrous metals, and building materials has been officially released today.

Present at today's press conference were: Mr. Chang Guowu, Director of the Department of Raw Materials Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and Mr. Xing Tao, Deputy Director of the Department; Mr. Cao Chuanzhen, Deputy Director of the Industry Department of the National Development and Reform Commission; Xiao Lu, Deputy Director of the Department of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce. Madam, please introduce the relevant situation of the four work plans to stabilize growth and answer the questions that everyone is concerned about. I am the host of this press conference, Cheng Xiaoming, General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

First, I would like to ask Director-General Chang Guowu to introduce the overall situation of the work plan.

Chang Guowu：Thank you, host! Thank you to all the media friends who attended today’s press conference. I am very happy to share with you the work plan for stable growth in four key raw material industries including petrochemicals, steel, non-ferrous metals, and building materials.

The raw material industry is the foundation of the real economy and the basic industry and pillar industry of the national economy. Its added value accounts for nearly 30% of the industries above designated size and is an important area for stable economic growth.

From January to July this year, the raw material industry as a whole showed a trend of continuous recovery and structural improvement. First, the industry’s growth rate is steady and accelerating. The added value of the raw material industry increased by 5.2% year-on-year, of which July increased by 7.7% year-on-year, 2 percentage points faster than the previous month. Second, the product structure continues to be optimized. New materials account for more than 15% of the raw material industry, green building materials operating income increased by more than 20% year-on-year, and new economic growth points are accelerating. Third, investment maintained a relatively high growth rate. Investment in chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing, and non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling processing industries increased by 13.7% and 10.2% respectively year-on-year, much higher than the national fixed asset investment growth rate. Fourth, green development has achieved remarkable results. The energy consumption per unit of clinker for cement products dropped by 3% compared with the early stage of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and the carbon emissions per unit of electrolytic aluminum products dropped by 3.3%. 330 million tons of crude steel production capacity has completed full-process ultra-low emission transformation, and 460 million tons has completed key transformations such as desulfurization and denitrification, accounting for 76% of the cumulative transformation capacity.

While seeing the results, we must also be clearly aware that the current pressure on the stable growth of the raw materials industry is still great. From outside the industry, the global economic growth continues to slow down, domestic demand is still insufficient, and the pressure on resources and the environment is increasing; from the industry itself, the problem of excess of traditional products still exists, independent innovation capabilities are still weak, and the transformation and upgrading tasks are arduous.

In order to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on stabilizing growth, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with relevant departments, formulated work plans for stabilizing growth in four key raw material industries. The general idea is to follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, adhere to the general tone of the work of seeking progress while maintaining stability, coordinate development and security, coordinate the expansion of domestic demand and deepen supply-side structural reform , coordinate both international and domestic markets and resources, strive to create a fair competitive market environment, and continuously stimulate the vitality of market entities; strive to consolidate the results of overcapacity reduction and maintain a dynamic balance between supply and demand; strive to expand effective supply, actively expand application markets; strive to accelerate technological transformation , promote green and intelligent transformation; strive to deepen open cooperation, promote higher levels of mutual benefit and win-win, strive to achieve effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity, and provide strong support for the stable and healthy development of the national economy.

In the next step, we will work with relevant departments and industry organizations to strengthen work coordination, strengthen service guidance, and effectively organize and implement the work plan. It is believed that as the effects of a series of national macro-control policies gradually emerge, and with the joint efforts of all parties, the raw materials industry will be able to achieve the expected goal of stable growth.

I will briefly introduce it here, thank you all!

China Chemical News reporter: What are the characteristics of the petrochemical and chemical industry in the first half of the year? What measures will be taken to promote stable economic growth in the petrochemical and chemical industry?

Xing Tao：Thank you for your question.

The added value of the petrochemical and chemical industry in 2022 will account for 14.7% of the industry and approximately 4.9% of the gross domestic product. The steady growth of the industry is of great significance to ensuring the security of the industrial chain and supply chain and the stable operation of the industrial economy.

Since the beginning of this year, the petrochemical and chemical industry has fully implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, striving to stabilize production, optimize structure, and promote transformation. New production capacities for bulk products such as ethylene, propylene, and paraxylene have been put into production one after another. The development potential of new chemical materials and fine chemicals has continued Released, achieving three "growths" of output, added value, and investment. First, output has grown steadily. From January to July, the cumulative crude oil processing volume reached 430 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 10.9%; the output of 9 of the 11 major bulk petrochemical and chemical products such as ethylene under key monitoring increased year-on-year. Second, the added value increased steadily. From January to July, the added value of the industry increased by 6.3% year-on-year, 2.5 percentage points higher than the industrial average, accounting for approximately 15% of the national industry. Third, investment continues to grow significantly. In the first half of the year, investment in chemical manufacturing increased by 13.9%, 5 percentage points higher than the national industrial investment growth rate.

However, it should also be noted that the industry's mid- to long-term contradictions and phased problems are superimposed, some operating indicators have weakened, and growth has slowed down. The stable recovery of both supply and demand still faces many challenges. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Emergency Management, and the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, compiled the "Work Plan for Steady Growth of the Petrochemical and Chemical Industry", focusing on the petrochemical and chemical industry. The "14th Five-Year Plan" high-quality development guidance and the goals and tasks of the carbon peak implementation plan systematically plan measures to stabilize growth over the two-year period, adhere to a problem-oriented approach, and based on current issues such as sluggish demand and tightening factors, promote investment and optimize supply. 11 specific measures were proposed in five aspects, including stabilizing foreign trade, ensuring production, and strengthening enterprises.

The first is to promote investment. Accelerate the demonstration and implementation of major petrochemical and modern coal chemical projects. Promote energy-saving, pollution-reducing and carbon-reducing transformation and comprehensive technical transformation of old equipment, and carry out demonstrations of industrialization of non-grain bio-based materials. Accelerate the construction of smart factories and distinctive industrial Internet platforms, and cultivate solution providers. Standardize the construction of chemical industry parks, carry out park expansion in an orderly manner, and cultivate parks with competitive advantages. The second is excellent supply. Build a supply and demand platform and carry out activities such as brand promotion weeks to promote product variety, quality and brand creation. Build a pilot platform, strengthen upstream and downstream cooperation mechanisms, carry out "one-stop" application demonstrations, collaboratively explore application scenarios, create an industrial development ecosystem, and promote the industry's strong base, chain extension, and chain stability. The third is to stabilize foreign trade. Promote the technical transformation of terminals with large chemical trade volume, strengthen the protection of major foreign-invested petrochemical projects, and promote a higher level of open cooperation. The fourth is to ensure production. Efforts will be made to implement in detail the policy of not including the energy consumption of raw materials into the total amount and intensity control of energy consumption, and to strengthen the supply of coal and gas for key products such as fertilizers to ensure the smooth operation of production. The fifth is to strengthen the enterprise. Guide leading enterprises as "chain owners" to strengthen their technological innovation organizations and platform service functions, fully bring together and give full play to the collaborative innovation role of specialized small and medium-sized enterprises, stimulate the innovation vitality of various enterprises, deepen integrated development, and jointly strengthen market entities with stable growth.

That’s all I’ll introduce, thank you all!

CNR China Voice reporter: What work has the National Development and Reform Commission done in recent years to stabilize the growth of steel, and in what areas will it increase its efforts in the future?

Cao Chuanzhen: Thank you for your question.

The steel industry is an important basic raw material industry for the national economy. It has a strong investment-stimulating effect, strong employment capacity, and high industrial correlation. It has made important contributions to my country's economic and social development. Its smooth operation is crucial to the stable growth of the national economy. In recent years, the National Development and Reform Commission, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other relevant departments, have consistently implemented the top-level designs of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on the development of the steel industry, vigorously promoted the supply-side structural reform of the steel industry, strengthened the supply guarantee of mineral resources, and accelerated the development of the industry. Green and low-carbon transformation and high-quality development have achieved positive results, and the overall operation of the steel industry has remained stable.

But at the same time, we must also note that the steel industry is facing a new development environment, the steel market demand has dropped, and steel companies are facing some difficulties in production and operation. Changes in the external situation will cause fluctuations in industry growth, but they also provide important windows and opportunities for industrial upgrading. In the next step, the National Development and Reform Commission will focus on continuing to promote the high-quality development of the steel industry from the following aspects.

(1) Actively promote the development of domestic mineral resources. The National Development and Reform Commission will continue to play its role as a coordination mechanism for domestic iron ore development, encourage and support the construction of mineral resource development bases and mining projects, make every effort to coordinate and promote the resolution of problems and difficulties encountered, and actively promote the commissioning and expansion of projects under construction. Energy and new projects have started construction, accelerating the release of domestic resource development potential, and adding a new batch of domestic mineral resource supply capabilities.

(2) Continue to improve industrial concentration. The National Development and Reform Commission will adhere to the principles of marketization and rule of law, and on the premise of respecting the dominant position of enterprises and ensuring their independent decision-making, implement relevant laws and standard requirements such as environmental protection governance, energy conservation and carbon reduction, accelerate the pace of mergers and reorganizations in the steel industry, and create a A group of leading specialized enterprises with obvious product advantages and strong self-development capabilities.

(3) Solidly promote green and low-carbon transformation. The National Development and Reform Commission will strictly implement project management in accordance with relevant policy requirements on industry, environment, energy efficiency and other related policies. Strictly compare energy efficiency standards, etc., and promote enterprises to implement green and low-carbon transformation and upgrading in an orderly manner. Further focus on key links in the steel industry, strengthen technological breakthroughs, build a green and low-carbon technology system, guide enterprises to accelerate the upgrading of advanced energy-saving technology and equipment, promote the demonstration and application of key energy-saving and carbon-reducing technologies, and further enhance the level of green manufacturing in the steel industry.

That’s all I’ll introduce, thank you all!

Reporter from Shanghai Securities News: In recent years, the nonferrous metals industry has achieved relatively outstanding results. In 2022, the industry's operating revenue exceeded 8 trillion yuan for the first time. However, since the beginning of this year, the operation of the non-ferrous metal industry has faced many problems and challenges. What targeted measures will be taken in the non-ferrous metal industry’s stable growth plan to promote the steady growth of the non-ferrous metal industry?

Chang Guowu: Thank you for your question.

Nonferrous metals have outstanding strategic value and wide application fields. They are not only basic materials supporting the development of construction, machinery, home appliances and other industries, but also key materials to enhance the competitiveness of emerging industries such as new energy and new generation information technology. They have broad development prospects. In recent years, the nonferrous metals industry has shown a sustained and positive development trend, achieved remarkable results in structural adjustment, green transformation, innovative development and other aspects, and has made positive contributions to the stable growth of my country's economy. From January to July this year, the industrial added value of the nonferrous metal industry increased by 5.9% year-on-year, 2.1 percentage points higher than the industrial average; the output of ten nonferrous metals was 42.32 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 7%. However, in the development process, there are still problems such as insufficient growth momentum in traditional consumption areas, reduced exports, and high dependence on foreign countries for some strategic minerals and high-end materials.

In the next step, we will put stable growth in a more prominent position and work hard to improve supply capacity, promote effective investment, and expand the scale of consumption. The first is to strengthen the supply guarantee of important resources. Formulate implementation plans to promote the development of lithium and other resource industries, guide key areas to formulate resource industry plans and resource development project lists, strengthen factor guarantees and expected guidance, build upstream and downstream supply and demand docking platforms, and prevent significant price fluctuations. The second is to support the research and development and application of key materials. Facing key areas such as aerospace, rail transit, and medical equipment, support high-end materials research, encourage localities to build pilot platforms based on the characteristics of local industries, promote the application of new materials and new process results, and strengthen the research and development layout of cutting-edge materials. The third is to increase technological transformation. Support enterprises to carry out the transformation and upgrading of process technology and equipment such as energy conservation and carbon reduction, intelligent manufacturing, accelerate the construction of green and low-carbon public service platforms, create a number of benchmark enterprises, and promote the intelligent and green development of the industry. The fourth is to actively expand downstream markets. Focusing on the demand for consumption upgrades such as housing improvement, urban infrastructure, and food packaging, we will promote steady growth in the consumption of bulk nonferrous metals such as copper and aluminum by creating model projects, reducing production costs, and holding large-scale exhibitions. Focusing on emerging fields such as new energy vehicles and photovoltaics, we will strengthen upstream and downstream docking, continuously improve product standards and specifications, and accelerate the development and promotion of integrated die-casting bodywork, magnesium alloy wheels, high-quality polysilicon and other products.

That’s all I’ll introduce, thank you all!

Reporter from Hong Kong Bauhinia Magazine: The building materials industry is an important basic industry of the national economy and an important area related to the smooth operation of the industrial economy. What measures does the "Plan" propose to solve the problems encountered in the current economic operation?

Xing Tao：Thank you for your question.

The building materials industry is an important area for the smooth operation of the industrial economy. From January to July this year, the added value accounted for 4.6% of the industry and approximately 1.6% of the GDP. In the first half of this year, the building materials industry generally showed a slowdown in growth. The added value was lower than that of industry and manufacturing. Operating income and profits both declined. The industry faces greater pressure to maintain stable growth. The current slowdown in the growth rate of the building materials industry is due to both insufficient downstream demand and insufficient adjustment of the industrial structure. At present, the growth of the building materials industry still mainly relies on traditional industries such as cement. The operating revenue of cement and cement products accounts for nearly 40% of the revenue of the building materials industry. Inorganic The proportion of emerging industries such as non-metallic new materials is still low. With the transformation of development mode and the upgrading of demand structure, the building materials industry has entered a new development stage characterized by green and low carbon. The demand for cement and other traditional building materials products has shown a steady and slow decline trend. Green building materials, mineral functional materials, inorganic non-carbon materials, etc. The accelerated development of emerging building materials industries such as new metal materials is an inevitable trend in industry structural adjustment.

We should also see that the building materials industry also showed many bright spots and growth points in its development and operation in the first half of the year. First, the industry's performance has recovered steadily. The added value of the industry has reversed the downward trend in 2022 and has overall resumed its growth trend. The import and export volume of building materials commodities was US$42.05 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.3%. Second, the industrial structure continues to be optimized. The manufacturing of technical glass products, the manufacturing of glass fiber reinforced plastic products, the manufacturing of waterproof building materials, the manufacturing of lightweight building materials, etc. have maintained a good growth trend, and the year-on-year profit growth has been above double digits. Third, the green building materials industry is developing rapidly. With the in-depth activities of green building materials going to the countryside, the green building materials industry has entered the fast lane of development. From January to July this year, the operating income of green building materials exceeded 120 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of more than 20%.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with eight departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration of Financial Supervision, jointly issued the "Work Plan for Stable Growth of the Building Materials Industry" from investment, Ten specific measures were proposed in four aspects: supply, consumption, and international cooperation. The first is to expand effective investment and promote industry transformation and upgrading. Support cooperation between industry and finance, accelerate the high-end, intelligent, and green transformation and upgrading of the building materials industry, and accelerate the construction of key projects such as new materials. The second is to improve effective supply and stimulate new momentum for industry growth. Organize and carry out the "three products" campaign to increase varieties, improve quality, and create brands in the building materials industry, strive to promote the upgrading of bulk products, focus on demand in new energy and other fields, and enhance the supply capacity of new materials. The third is to promote green building materials and cultivate the concept of green consumption. Carry out in-depth activities to bring green building materials to the countryside, expand the promotion and application of urban green building materials, promote the coordinated development of green building materials and green buildings, improve the green building materials product certification system, cultivate green consumption concepts, and improve green consumption levels. The fourth is to deepen international cooperation and achieve high-level mutual benefit and win-win results. Utilize the advantages of the domestic ultra-large-scale market to attract foreign-funded enterprises with advanced technologies to increase investment in my country's new inorganic non-metallic materials. Give full play to the advantages of complete sets of technology, equipment, standards and engineering services in cement, glass and other industries to promote green and low-carbon cooperation in the international building materials industry.

That’s all I’ll introduce, thank you all!

Reporter from China Economic News: How do you view the status and role of the non-ferrous metal industry in foreign trade? Under the current situation, what measures is the Ministry of Commerce preparing to take to support the development of foreign trade in the nonferrous metal industry?

Xiao Lu： Thank you for your question.

The nonferrous metal industry is the foundation of modern industry and an important part of the national economy. In the past ten years, my country's nonferrous metal import and export scale has increased from US$132.3 billion in 2013 to US$329.9 billion in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of approximately 10.7%, and its proportion in foreign trade has increased from 3.2% to 5.2%. A trade pattern has been formed in which imports are mainly primary raw materials such as copper, aluminum, zinc, and nickel mineral products, and exports are mainly intermediate products such as aluminum materials and copper materials. It not only strongly supports the development of domestic downstream industries such as automobiles, machinery, home appliances, building materials, and electronic information, but also makes positive contributions to my country's deep integration into the international industrial chain supply chain system and the development of related industries around the world.

Since the beginning of this year, global economic growth has been sluggish, foreign trade has faced increasing uncertainties, economic and non-economic factors are intertwined, and the situation is grim and complex. To this end, the Ministry of Commerce, together with various localities and departments, is taking multiple measures to promote the stabilization and quality improvement of foreign trade in nonferrous metals and other industries. Focus on four aspects of work:

First, adhere to a problem-oriented approach and strengthen policy empowerment. In April this year, we submitted to the State Council executive meeting for review and approval of the "Opinions on Promoting Stable Scale and Optimized Structure of Foreign Trade" and introduced 18 policies and measures in 5 aspects, creating a combination of policies. At present, we are paying close attention to the implementation of existing policies and ensuring that the policies are effective. At the same time, we will focus on the difficulties of enterprises, pain points of the industry, and development bottlenecks, study reserve policies, and plan to successively introduce special policies and measures such as new energy vehicle trade cooperation and improving the development level of processing trade.

The second is to give full play to the advantages of overseas channels and provide service guarantee. Regularly publish "Foreign Trade Promotion Information" and "Country Trade Guide", and collect information on overseas market supply and demand, major exhibition activities, contact information of overseas business associations, trade policy adjustments and other information through various embassies, consulates and business institutions abroad, and regularly publish information on business It is published on the Ministry’s website and everyone is welcome to check it at any time. Increase consultation and coordination and rely on mechanisms such as the Bilateral Trade Unimpeded Working Group and the Bilateral Joint Economic and Trade Committee to promote the resolution of specific difficulties encountered by Chinese enterprises in exploring international markets.

The third is to expand channel platforms and promote supply and procurement docking. In terms of offline exhibitions, we will successfully organize important exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo, Canton Fair, and Trade in Services Fair, and support foreign trade companies to participate in overseas exhibitions. In terms of online platforms, through the regular operation of the Canton Fair online platform, since August, more than 40 "Trade Bridge" supply, purchase and demand matching activities have been organized and carried out every month focusing on different industry themes. Give full play to the role of new business formats, guide and support enterprises to explore international markets through new business formats such as cross-border e-commerce and market procurement trade methods.

The fourth is to strengthen capacity building and facilitate cross-border exchanges. In terms of capacity building, we will focus on the new situation and new policies and organize a series of trainings on new business formats, green and low-carbon trade, free trade agreements, etc. by industry, and strive to improve the ability of enterprises to carry out foreign trade. In terms of facilitating cross-border exchanges, we will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Civil Aviation and other departments to work together to promote the resumption of flights by Chinese and foreign airlines and increase flights, provide better entry and exit visa services, and facilitate cross-border exchanges of business personnel.

In accordance with the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the Ministry of Commerce will make greater efforts to help enterprises in non-ferrous metals and other industries expand markets and stabilize orders, fully promote foreign trade stabilization and optimal structure, and make positive contributions to the growth of the national economy.

That’s all I’ll introduce, thank you all!

Reporter from People's Daily: What difficulties still exist in the development of my country's steel industry? What policy support will be introduced next?

Chang Guowu：Thank you for your question.

The steel industry has a long industrial chain and covers a wide range of areas. The added value in 2022 will account for 4.7% of the industry. From January to July 2023, the industrial added value of the steel industry increased by 6.6% year-on-year, 2.8 percentage points higher than the industrial average. The national pig iron, crude steel, and steel output were 530 million tons, 630 million tons, and 790 million tons respectively, year-on-year respectively. Growth rates were 3.5%, 2.5% and 5.4%. At the same time, the steel consumption structure continues to be optimized. The overall proportion of steel used in the construction industry has declined. Steel use in steel structures and manufacturing has increased significantly. Emerging industries such as new energy and high-end equipment have driven the high-end development of steel. Overall, my country's steel industry has shown strong development resilience.

However, it should also be noted that the steel industry still faces difficulties such as insufficient recovery of traditional market demand, increasing periodic supply and demand contradictions, and declining industry profitability. The foundation for operational recovery is not yet solid, and the task of maintaining stable operation of the industry and promoting high-quality development is still arduous. Onerous.

The "Plan" focuses on both supply and demand, adhering to the combination of optimizing supply and expanding demand, combining the current situation with a long-term perspective, and combining market leadership with government guidance to implement the "four major actions." First, implement technological innovation and transformation actions to stimulate new momentum for high-quality development. Accelerate the promotion of technological equipment upgrades, green and low-carbon transformation and digital transformation, and support and guide the orderly development of electric furnace steel. We will increase our support for pilot verification and industrialization of low-carbon common technologies such as hydrogen metallurgy, and provide policy support for capacity replacement for low-carbon cutting-edge technology demonstration projects. The second is to implement steel consumption upgrading actions and strive to expand steel demand. Carry out upstream and downstream production and demand docking activities between steel and key steel-using fields such as ships, construction, automobiles, and agricultural machinery, and actively expand steel application scenarios. Actively support enterprises to integrate into the global industrial chain and supply chain, and guide steel products, equipment, technology, services, etc. to "go global" in a coordinated manner. The third is to implement supply capacity improvement actions to ensure the stable and efficient operation of the industry. On the one hand, we will further promote the "three products" campaign for raw materials. Establish and improve the upstream and downstream cooperation mechanisms for new steel materials in key areas, formulate quality grading standards for steel products, and promote the acceptance and application of quality grading evaluation results. On the other hand, we should improve our support capabilities such as iron resources. Accelerate the start-up and production of key domestic iron ore projects and expand capacity and production to ensure normal production of compliant mining companies. Strengthen the recycling of scrap steel resources and further improve the construction of scrap steel recycling, processing and distribution system. Promote the expansion of imports of recycled steel raw materials and high-quality coking coal resources. The fourth is to implement actions to cultivate leading enterprises and increase the concentration of the steel industry. Encourage steel companies to implement mergers and reorganizations. For steel companies that have completed substantial mergers and reorganizations, we will study and provide greater policy support for capacity replacement. Research and formulate hierarchical and classified management methods for steel standard enterprises to guide the clustering and development of factor resources towards high-quality enterprises. Support qualified places to focus on the steel field to cultivate advanced manufacturing clusters and optimize the industrial development ecology.

That’s all I’ll introduce, thank you all!

Reporter from China Industry and Information Technology Network: In the next step, in what directions will the National Development and Reform Commission focus its efforts to promote the stable growth of the petrochemical and chemical industry?

Cao Chuanzhen：Thank you for your question. Thank you all for your concern, concern and support for the petrochemical and chemical industry.

The petrochemical and chemical industry is an important component of my country's manufacturing industry. It provides support and service guarantees for various industries in the national economy and plays an important role in the national economic and social development pattern. The "Work Plan for Steady Growth of the Petrochemical and Chemical Industry" proposes a series of major work measures. The National Development and Reform Commission will continue to make efforts in accordance with the division of functions, focusing on promoting the construction of major projects, accelerating energy-saving and carbon-reducing transformation, and promoting high-end development. Promote the petrochemical and chemical industry to achieve higher quality and stable growth.

(1) Promote the construction of major petrochemical projects. We must firmly grasp the "narrow nose" of investment, effectively play the leading role of investment and the leading role of leading projects, further increase the guarantee of land and energy and other factor resources for projects that are in line with the national layout plan, accelerate the construction of major petrochemical projects, and promote Industrial integration and cluster development will continuously enhance the core competitiveness of the petrochemical industry and promote stable growth and high-quality development of the industry.

(2) Accelerate the implementation of energy-saving and carbon-reduction transformation. In accordance with the work arrangements related to energy conservation and carbon reduction policies such as the "Several Opinions on Strict Energy Efficiency Constraints to Promote Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in Key Areas" issued by our committee and relevant departments, give full play to the incentive and constraint roles of energy efficiency standards, green electricity prices, energy conservation supervision, fiscal finance and other policies , to promote petrochemical and chemical enterprises to increase energy-saving and carbon-reducing transformation efforts, accelerate the research and development of green and low-carbon technologies and the promotion and application of advanced and mature technologies, continuously increase the supply of green petrochemical products, meet the needs of domestic investment and consumption upgrades, and promote the formation of a strong domestic market.

(3) Promote the development of high-end industries. Further focus on the weak links in petrochemical and chemical process technology and the development direction of large-scale and high-end equipment, encourage and guide enterprises to increase innovation, actively promote the development and application of key core technologies and equipment, and accelerate the promotion of new chemical materials "from scratch" and "from something" "To be good" and "from good to excellent", accelerate the cultivation of a group of "big countries and valuable equipment" in the field of petrochemical equipment, promote the petrochemical industry to accelerate the high-end, characteristic and refined development, continuously enhance new momentum for the development of the petrochemical industry, and drive the industry to remain stable and healthy develop. That’s all I’ll introduce, thank you all!

21st Century Business Herald reporter：Since last year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has organized an activity to send green building materials to the countryside. How effective is the activity? How will it promote the development of the green building materials industry in the future?

Xing Tao：Thank you for your question.

Green building materials refer to high-quality building materials products with the characteristics of "energy saving, emission reduction, low carbon, safety, convenience and recyclability". In 2022, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Rural Revitalization Administration jointly launched a campaign of green building materials going to the countryside. So far, we have approved 12 pilot areas for activities, including Zhejiang and Shandong, and encourage qualified places to promote green consumption through consumer coupons and other forms, encourage key enterprises to provide more cost-effective products, and encourage e-commerce platforms to set up special areas for green building materials products. Effectively promote the development of the entire industry chain of green building materials production, certification, circulation, application, and services. According to preliminary statistics, from January to July 2023, the operating income of green building materials and e-commerce platform sales increased by more than 20% year-on-year. 4,400 certified companies were included in the scope of activities, and a total of 7,698 green building materials product certification certificates were issued, which is higher than last year. During the same period, they increased by 1.6 times and 1.2 times respectively.

In order to accelerate the development of the green building materials industry, we are working with relevant departments to study and formulate the "Action Plan for the High-Quality Development of the Green Building Materials Industry." It is planned to focus on guiding and supporting industrial development from three aspects. The first is to promote industrial transformation. Accelerate the development of prefabricated, componentized, and functional green building materials products suitable for different application scenarios, and develop new green building materials products. In areas with a good development foundation, rely on advantageous enterprises, make full use of local resources, develop green building materials according to local conditions, and create a number of green building materials production clusters. The second is to accelerate application expansion. Promote the coordinated development of green building materials and green buildings, and accelerate the promotion and application of green building materials in government projects. Continue to carry out activities to bring green building materials to the countryside, fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties, strengthen upstream and downstream linkage, and improve the convenience and selectivity of rural consumption. Support the development of typical demonstrations of rural applications of green building materials, and encourage rural housing renovation, agricultural infrastructure, etc. to take the lead in using green building materials. The third is to optimize the industrial ecology. Improve the green building materials standard system, promote the formulation and revision of green building materials evaluation standards, speed up the certification of green building materials products, and promote the interconnection of green building materials product certification data and relevant accounting application databases. Increase publicity and promotion, cultivate the concept of green consumption among the masses, and improve the consumption level of green building materials.

That’s all I’ll introduce, thank you all!

Cheng Xiaoming：Thank you for your introduction, and thank you for your participation. We will hold the last press conference in the series of stabilizing growth to introduce the work plan for stabilizing growth in the machinery, automobile, electronic equipment and electronic information manufacturing industries. Welcome. All media reporters continue to pay attention to the report. This concludes today’s press conference, thank you all.

(Excerpted from the Department of Raw Materials Industry, General Office, and Industry Information WeChat News)