Recently, the Fujian Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and three other departments have researched and formulated the Action Plan for Accelerating Promotion and Application of New Materials and Boosting Industry Development with High Quality in Fujian Province (2024-2026) ("Action Plan"), aiming to achieve an output of over RMB 700 billion for the new materials industry in Fujian by 2026. The goal includes fostering more than 10 enterprises with an output of over RMB 10 billion, more than 300 Specialized, Refined, Differential, Innovative (SRDI) enterprises, more than 70 SRDI "Little Giant" enterprises, and more than 30 championship enterprises of one sector in manufacturing.

According to the Action Plan, Fujian will expand and strengthen its capabilities in four major advanced base materials, namely advanced chemical materials, advanced steel materials, advanced inorganic non-metallic materials, and advanced non-ferrous metal materials; optimize and refine the layout of five key strategic materials, namely high-performance fibers and composite materials, lithium (sodium) new energy materials, rare materials and rare earth materials, advanced semiconductor materials and new display materials, and biomedical materials. Additionally, Fujian will set a forward-looking plan to develop cutting-edge materials such as graphene and additive manufacturing.

According to the Action Plan, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, and Putian will serve as the primary bases for developing functional membrane materials, new coating materials, high-performance resins, and high-performance new rubber and plastic materials and additives. High-quality special steel, core basic component steel, duplex stainless steel, and other key new steel materials will be accelerated in Ningde and Fuzhou. Fuzhou and Zhangzhou will primarily develop special glass products for new energy vehicles and other fields.

The Action Plan indicates the requirements for making technological and marketing breakthroughs in key materials and components while strengthening the supporting system of raw and auxiliary materials. For example, Fuzhou and Quanzhou will become the key areas to accelerate the development of flame-retardant fibers and other high-tech fibers, speed up the research and development of bio-based biodegradable fibers such as polylactic acid fibers, and develop advanced composite materials and components such as fiber-reinforced and particle-reinforced resin matrices. Ningde and Xiamen will serve as the primary bases to develop advanced ternary cathode materials with high nickel, high capacity, and high energy density as well as high-end anode materials such as mesocarbon microbeads and modified graphite, and accelerate the research on high-capacity hydrogen storage materials and solid oxide fuel cell materials.

The Action Plan also clarifies the priority in promoting steady mass production of advanced materials and key products such as graphene and additive manufacturing materials, strengthening the basic research and technology accumulation of other advanced materials such as optical crystal materials, liquid metals, superconducting materials, and quantum dot materials, and accelerating the layout of intellectual property.

The Action Plan introduces major measures in seven aspects, including gradient cultivation of key new material enterprises, development of characteristic industrial clusters, and acceleration of core technology breakthroughs. The aims are clear, including fostering a group of leading enterprises with core competitiveness and international influence, establishing and improving a featured gradient cultivation mechanism for high-quality small-and-medium-sized enterprises, and forging a torrent of SRDI enterprises and SRDI "Little Giant" enterprises, and championship enterprises of one sector in manufacturing specializing in new materials; creating clusters of advanced textile functional materials, new stainless steel materials, lithium battery materials, rare materials and rare earth materials, electronic information materials, new fluorine materials, and other characteristic industrial clusters that align with national development strategies and the development of key industrial chains in Fujian counties; supporting enterprises to construct specialized publically available small-scale and pilot-scale platforms for new material concept verification, pilot maturation, and small-batch trial production.

According to incomplete statistics, from 2020 to 2022, Fujian saw an over 18% annual average growth in the output of new materials. As of 2023, there were more than 29 leading enterprises specializing in new materials, 15 enterprises with an output of over RMB 5 billion, 26 national championship enterprises of one sector in manufacturing, 57 SRDI "Little Giant" enterprises, and 165 SRDI enterprises in Fujian.