-- Lanzhou, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) – According to the newly released China · Nickel Capital (Jinchang) Industrial Chain Innovation Development Index Report (2024) (hereinafter referred to as the “Report”), the industrial chain innovation development index of Jinchang, known as China’s “Nickel Capital” in Gansu Province, reached 211.4 points in 2024, which shows a year-on-year growth of 18.1 percent. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 20.6 percent since the baseline year (2020). The report highlights significant growth in three core indicators: industrial chain efficiency, integration, and leadership
Against the backdrop of the country’s strong push for the development of new quality productive forces, the Report was released on February 21 in Beijing. Jointly compiled by the Jinchang Development and Reform Commission and China Economic Information Service under Xinhua News Agency, the report highlights the innovative achievements of this industrial city in northwest China as it undergoes industrial transformation and upgrading, using a data-driven and systematic approach.
Located in the western part of Gansu Province, Jinchang is China’s largest nickel-cobalt production base and has long faced dual challenges of resource dependency and ecological pressure. In recent years, the city has leveraged its “Strengthening Industry” initiative to upgrade its industrial chain, driving it toward higher-end, intelligent, and environmentally friendly development.
The report shows that behind the leap in Jinchang’s industrial chain innovation development index is a comprehensive growth in three core indicators: industrial chain efficiency, integration, and leadership, which increased by 17.1 percent, 17.9 percent, and 24.1 percent year-on-year in 2024, respectively.
In 2024, Jinchang’s gross regional product (GRP) grew by 13.6 percent year-on-year, while the added value of industrial enterprises above a designated size surged by 24.6 percent. The total import and export volume of foreign trade accounted for nearly “half” of the total in Gansu Province. The city has ranked first in Gansu’s high-quality development contribution award for 12 consecutive quarters.
At the core of Jinchang's transformation lies the restructuring of its industrial system. Leveraging its advantages in nickel-cobalt resources, the city has proposed the development of two trillion-yuan industrial chains – “new energy and new energy batteries” and “non-ferrous metal new materials” - as well as four hundred-billion-yuan industrial chains: “digital economy, chemical recycling, comprehensive utilization of resources, and high-quality vegetable, forage grass and livestock industry”. This “2+4” modern industrial cluster is driving the city’s transition from a single mining-based economy to a full industrial chain ecosystem. In 2024, the total output value of this industrial cluster reached 198.56 billion yuan, up 26.1 percent year-on-year, and accounted for more than 85 percent of the city's total industrial output.
The index results show that Jinchang has made significant progress in advancing the “three-pronged approach” of transforming traditional industries, nurturing emerging industries, and making forward-looking arrangements for future industries. In 2024, the industrial chain integration sub-index reached 219.22 points, a year-on-year increase of 17.9 percent, marking a more than two-fold growth since the baseline year (2020).
In 2024, 75 industrial-leading enterprises in Jinchang contributed a total output value of 126.308 billion yuan. Among them, Jinchuan Group, ranked 300th in the Global Fortune 500, led the growth of the non-ferrous metal new materials industrial chain, reaching a scale of over 100 billion yuan. Through the establishment of key mechanisms such as the system of industrial chain leader, the system of special task force, and the system of leading enterprises in the industrial chain, the city and its enterprises jointly formed 21 industrial chain investment teams. This led to the successful introduction of 15 industry-leading companies, including LB Group and Trina Solar, creating a “one introduction, one drive” magnetic effect.
Jinchang has also adopted a “city-enterprise collaboration + university-enterprise synergy” model, bridging the “last mile” of technological achievement transformation and pushing industrial chain innovation into the stage of practical application. The report shows an explosive increase in the number of valid invention patents per ten thousand people in Jinchang. In 2023, the number reached 13.81 patents per ten thousand people, 6.3 times as many as in 2013. Additionally, Ma Yutian from Jinchuan Group received the National Scientific and Technological Progress Second Prize for his “New Generation of Green and Efficient Extraction Technology for Rare and Precious Metals”.
The report concludes with recommendations for Jinchang to focus on building a national nickel-cobalt strategic base, undertaking industrial transfer from the eastern regions, strengthening talent development and recruitment, planning for future industries such as low-altitude economy and artificial intelligence, and optimizing the business environment. These efforts are expected to further unleash the multiplier effect of “chain leader collaboration, park agglomeration, and innovation-driven development”.
It is reported that the Report aims to present the phased achievements of Jinchang’s industrial chain innovation development in a data-driven and indexed format, offering a “Jinchang model” for the transformation and upgrading of resource-based cities across the country.
Reporter Zhang Xinxin
Editor in Charge: Liu Xinyu
Contact Info:
Name: Mr. Liu
Email: Send Email
Organization: Jinchang Municipal People’s Government
Website: http://www.jcs.gov.cn/
Release ID: 89153697
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