China's 'AI Plus' Initiative Drives Investment and Exports in Emerging Sectors

At a State Council Information Office press conference, Wang Guanhua, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics and head of its Comprehensive Statistics Department, said the "AI Plus" initiative strongly drove investment and exports in emerging fields in the first three quarters. The expansion of AI applications encouraged companies across the industrial chain to keep investing and raising capacity. Investment in electronic circuit manufacturing, integrated circuit manufacturing, and information services rose 58.7%, 14.2%, and 20.2%, respectively, with electronic circuit manufacturing posting the fastest growth.

Supported by the "two new" policy—large-scale equipment renewals and trade-ins of consumer goods—enterprises accelerated intelligent upgrades, lifting investment in equipment purchases by 9.7%. The figures indicate that intelligent upgrading is extending from isolated applications into production processes. Relying on a full-chain supporting system, China quickly launched AI software and hardware products tailored to different scenarios, matching overseas demand more precisely.

Export figures reflect the trend. In the first three quarters, exports of electronic components and wires and cables grew 70% and 25.3%, respectively. Terminal products such as AI glasses and intelligent bionic robots continued to enrich global AI application scenarios, extending the export mix from components toward finished devices.

The data suggest that AI-related manufacturing and services are becoming a notable source of investment momentum and export competitiveness. Policy support and supply-chain advantages are helping turn applications into marketable products, while the rapid rollout of scenario-specific AI products supports demand in overseas markets. The figures also point to a broader shift, with AI demand feeding through from software applications into hardware manufacturing and export activity.