China Orders State Firms to Speed AI Rollout Across Manufacturing

China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission directed central state-owned enterprises to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence across all areas of manufacturing, SASAC said following a special Party committee meeting held on September 20, 2026.

The meeting built on an earlier session on September 17 and set out concrete measures for state firms to grow what officials described as advanced manufacturing. It called on enterprises to strengthen intelligent upgrades across the full cycle of research and development, production and management, SASAC said.

SASAC grouped its instructions around five areas where central enterprises are expected to become more advanced: technology, industrial structure, production methods, manufacturing models, and business formats. On the technology front, it asked firms to take on a batch of new national science and technology projects, carry out flagship research tasks, and build new pilot-scale testing platforms to move toward more self-reliant, high-end technical routes.

On industrial structure, SASAC urged enterprises to expand emerging industries, cultivate future industries, and upgrade traditional sectors while moving toward the middle and high end of supply and value chains. It linked production methods to pollution and carbon reduction alongside quality and efficiency gains.

The push connects to Beijing’s broader drive to secure core technology capabilities, with the commission emphasizing deeper integration of advanced manufacturing and modern services to find new sources of growth.

To carry out the plan, the commission said it would support qualified central enterprises in consolidating resources and market positions, help build originators of proprietary technology, and refine assessment incentives and funding support focused on technical research, intelligent transformation and improved industrial layout.

For state firms and their workers, the directive points to broad automation and AI integration on factory floors and in management functions as central enterprises reshape their operations around the government’s manufacturing agenda, SASAC said.

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