The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China identified building a modern industrial system as a key task for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Building upon its foundation in the real economy and its unique characteristics shaped by both mountains and sea, Fujian has set its sights on the “555X” industrial cluster development goal. This initiative aims to cultivate 5 trillion-yuan-level clusters, strengthen 5 five-hundred-billion-yuan-level clusters, expand 5 hundred-billion-yuan-level clusters, and nurture several emerging future industrial clusters worth tens of billions of yuan. By pursuing cluster-based development to leverage strengths, address weaknesses, and solidify the foundation, Fujian seeks to build a robust modern material and technological base for the province’s new development phase. This approach both carries forward the industrial development blueprint charted by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his tenure in Fujian and represents a strategic choice for the province to overcome the challenge of having a “large but not strong” industrial sector and to translate comparative advantages into concrete outcomes.

Adherence to the real economy is a defining feature of Fujian’s modern industrial development. The core essence of building the “555X” industrial clusters lies in anchoring development in the real economy to gather chains into clusters, shifting industrial economics from “individual operations” to “group synergy”, thereby solidifying the backbone support for a modern industrial system. Fujian’s focus on “excellence” in industrial development has always taken root in cluster-based cultivation. Only by firmly maintaining manufacturing as the fundamental pillar can the modern industrial system be made more robust and development more assured.

The Gulei Petrochemical Base serves as a vivid example of trillion-yuan cluster cultivation. As one of China’s seven major petrochemical bases, it has established a “2+1” industrial layout anchored by flagship projects like the SABIC Fujian Petrochemical Complex. It has achieved an annual production capacity of 16 million tons of oil refining, 3.8 million tons of ethylene, and 3.6 million tons of aromatics, with 20 projects already operational and 17 under construction. Upon completion, the SABIC Fujian Petrochemical Complex, with a total investment of RMB 44.8 billion, will produce 1.5 million tons of ethylene annually, driving nearly RMB 200 billion in upstream and downstream investments and accelerating the formation of a complete industrial chain. Quanzhou’s textile, footwear, and apparel industry, with an annual output value exceeding RMB 700 billion, consistently ranks first nationwide in revenue, exemplifying the enhancement of a 500-billion-level cluster. Data confirms the results: in 2024, the value added of Fujian’s manufacturing sector accounted for 31.7% of the provincial GDP, ranking second nationally. Among its 20 hundred-billion-yuan clusters, 5 have output values exceeding RMB 300 billion, indicating an increasingly solid real economy foundation.

Fujian, embracing both mountains and sea, boasts a unique geographical position. It holds advantages as a coastal open frontier, possesses a pioneering foundation in the digital economy, and is endowed with innate marine resources. The development of the “555X” industrial clusters avoids a homogenized path. Instead, it identifies the right tracks based on local resource endowments. Through chain integration that sees “leading enterprises drive supporting industries, and supporting industries promote leading enterprises”, it transforms distinctive advantages into competitive strengths, allowing each industrial cluster to grow into the “optimal form” suited to the province’s industrial realities.

The rise of the new energy industry cluster demonstrates the strong momentum of chain integration. The emergence of the Luoyuan New Energy Industrial Cluster is quite representative. Attracting the “chain leader” project from CATL, which plans a battery base with an annual production capacity of 40 GWh, it has spurred the landing of 29 supporting projects with a total investment of RMB 11.5 billion, forming a complete industrial chain. It is now building a hundred-billion-yuan-level cluster in the northern wing of Fuzhou. As a distinctive hundred-billion-yuan cluster in Fujian, the marine economy achieved a production value exceeding RMB 1.25 trillion in 2024, accounting for 11.9% of the national total and contributing 21.7% to the province’s GDP, with new business formats flourishing. The digital economy stands as a core trillion-yuan growth driver, with “digital genes” deeply integrated into the industrial fabric.

Building the “555X” industrial clusters is a protracted endeavor requiring persistent effort. It necessitates strengthened policy support, platform development, and service empowerment to overcome challenges like insufficient coordination and resource constraints. Only then can the industrial clusters not only “grow large” but also “go far”, continuously fostering the endogenous advantages for Fujian’s high-quality development. Cultivating industrial clusters relies on both the invisible hand of the market to optimize resource allocation and the visible hand of the government to provide precise empowerment. Both forces working in the same direction can create a positive ecosystem featuring coordinated efforts from higher and lower levels and multi-party collaboration.

Regarding resource support, standardized industrial park development consolidates the physical platform. For instance, the Songshan section of the Fuzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone added nearly 3,000 mu (about 2 million m²) of contiguous industrial land. Simultaneously, efforts are made to revitalize idle resources, providing ample land guarantees. In terms of service empowerment, innovative mechanisms enhance service efficiency. For example, Luoyuan County pioneered a “Five-Wheel Drive” investment promotion mechanism, offering enterprises full-lifecycle support with “four-arrivals” service. For innovation support, the province has established a number of scientific innovation and public service platforms, promoting the deep integration of producer services with advanced manufacturing and injecting momentum into industrial transformation. Today, Fujian has formed a virtuous cycle of “nurturing leading enterprises—expanding the industrial chain—building clusters”, making “555X” the solid framework of its modern industrial system.

Standing at a new starting point, Fujian must remain committed to the real economy, deepen its distinctive advantages, and strengthen collaborative empowerment. By enabling clusters at all levels to fulfill their respective roles and work in concert, Fujian can forge a new path in building a modern industrial system with local characteristics, using industrial excellence to compose the era’s answer sheet for the province’s new development.

(Author’s Affiliation: Fujian University of Technology)