Workers assemble electronic equipment in a plant in Yangquan. [Photo/Yangquan Evening News]

Yangquan in North China's Shanxi province maintained good growth in its industrial development in 2021, with the industrial added value increasing 12.1 percent year-on-year by enterprises above designated size – those with annual revenues of 20 million yuan ($3.14 million) or more – and ranking seventh in the province.

Over the past year, the industrial added value of traditional industries and emerging industries grew 14.9 percent and 3.0 percent year-on-year respectively, accounting for 83.8 percent and 16.2 percent of the total industrial added value. 

Among these industries, the coal industry remained the main driving force for the industrial growth with an added value up 13.3 percent and contributing a total of 73.6 percent to the industrial growth. The development momentum of strategic emerging industries accelerated, with the industrial added value up 16.0 percent and accounting for 6.5 percent of the total industrial added value.

The No 7 Shanxi Smart City in Yangquan [Photo/Yangquan Evening News]

Among the city's major industrial products, the outputs of raw coal and washing coal were 68.25 million metric tons and 21.60 million tons respectively, a year-on-year increase of 20.2 percent and 23.3 percent; whereas the output of refractory materials was 1.03 million tons, up by 28.7 percent; and the primary aluminum output was 151,000 tons, up 19.3 percent. 

There were more companies increasing their scale to be above designated size. The added value of the city's 50 newly-added industrial enterprises above designated size increased 146.4 percent year-on-year, driving the city's industrial growth rate by 4.5 percentage points. The newly-added enterprises above designated size were mainly in the coal mining and washing, non-metallic mineral products, and specialized equipment manufacturing sectors.

The development zones in Yangquan also accelerated its industrial upgrading last year. There were 86 industrial enterprises above designated size in the city's three provincial development zones, accounting for 37.4 percent of the city's total enterprises. The industrial added value of the 86 enterprises accounted for 15.6 percent of the total.

Workers operate a 5G-based intelligent coal mining system in Yangquan. [Photo/Yangquan Evening News]

In response to the existing problems affecting the operation of the industrial economy, such as the continuous negative growth of the coking, chemical, and coalbed methane mining industries, the consecutive decline in the proportion of the manufacturing sector in the industry, and the small number of high-tech manufacturing enterprises, Yangquan will further the development of intelligent mining, attach importance to the development of manufacturing enterprises, and expand investment in high-tech and strategic emerging industries.