President Xi’s industrial power play sees China bet big on AI, chips and smarter factories

President Xi Jinping has reiterated calls for China to make its supply chains more resilient and self-sufficient while accelerating the creation of a modern industrial system underpinned by advanced manufacturing.

Xi’s latest directives, issued at a national conference on advanced manufacturing in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, were said to be aimed at strengthening the Chinese economy, the state-run Xinhua reported.

Xi’s push this week echoed Beijing’s previous statements and came as the world’s second-largest economy has been growing at a slower pace amid employment worries, soft consumption and a persistent property market downturn.

Upgrades to the industrial sector, the president said, were essential to securing China’s global competitiveness, Xinhua reported.