KOTRA: "'China's 15·5 Plan' Opens Opportunities for South Korean Advanced Materials, Parts and Equipment"

Analysis of Policies by China's Central Government and 31 Local Governments
Overview of Seven Future Industries, Including Integrated Circuits and AI

An analysis has found that South Korean companies could gain broader export opportunities in China, particularly for advanced materials, parts and equipment, during the Chinese government’s 15th Five-Year Plan, also known as the 15·5 Plan.

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) released a report on October 20 titled “China’s Future Industry Landscape and Implications Through the Lens of the 15th Five-Year Plan,” which comprehensively analyzes future-industry development policies pursued by China’s central government and the governments of 31 provinces and cities. China sets its medium- and long-term national economic development goals in five-year cycles and allocates policy resources and budgets accordingly. The 15·5 Plan outlines a strategy to secure future growth drivers for the period from 2026 to 2030.

The cover of the report “China’s Future Industry Landscape and Implications Through the Lens of the 15th Five-Year Plan,” published by KOTRA on the 20th. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.

The report identifies seven key sectors—artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductor integrated circuits, the low-altitude economy, biopharmaceuticals and advanced medical devices, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interface technology, and commercial aerospace—and maps development patterns across regions. According to the analysis, China is accelerating technological advancement and market expansion in emerging industries that have already made significant progress toward commercialization, such as integrated circuits and biopharmaceuticals. In early-stage industries such as hydrogen and nuclear fusion, it is focusing on securing core technologies and building initial ecosystems.

The division of roles among regions is also becoming clear. Beijing, the national capital, and Shanghai, a financial center, are leading basic research and development (R&D) and the design of core technologies. Meanwhile, southeastern coastal areas such as Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are focusing on commercializing technologies and mass production, drawing on their extensive manufacturing infrastructure. Inland regions in central and western China, including Anhui, Sichuan, Hubei and Chongqing, are combining their established heavy chemical and machinery manufacturing bases with research capabilities to expand their role as testing grounds and production bases for future industries.

KOTRA forecast that China’s push to localize component production could curb imports of standard, general-purpose products, but demand would continue for high-value-added goods in which South Korea has a technological edge, such as precision process equipment, high-performance chemical materials and key control components. In particular, as future-industry hubs spread from the eastern coast to inland areas in central and western China, KOTRA advised South Korean companies to move quickly to enter localized supply chains tailored to the industries specializing in each region, while pursuing differentiated strategies to maintain their technological edge.

“This report brings together the 15·5 Plans of China’s central government and 31 provinces and cities, focusing on the direction of future-industry development and opportunities for our companies to enter the market based on each region’s areas of specialization,” said Jang Sanghae, head of KOTRA’s China Regional Headquarters. “China remains our largest export market. In addition to publishing this report, we will do our utmost to support our companies in identifying opportunities and expanding their success in the Chinese market.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.