Xu Xiaoxiong, mayor of Zhaoqing and a deputy to the NPC, attended a panel discussion of Guangdong delegation during the two sessions. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhaoqing in Guangdong province vowed to vigorously develop its real economy, aiming to accelerate the construction of a more competitive manufacturing industry in the western part of the province.

To achieve the goal, the city government is now accelerating the development of new quality productive forces and strategically planning industrial growth to promote manufacturing, said Xu Xiaoxiong, mayor of Zhaoqing and a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress.

As an important city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangzhou metropolitan area, the city possesses a solid industrial foundation for further development in the manufacturing industries.

Notably, the city's advanced manufacturing industry has reached a significant industrial scale and influence.

Xu outlined the city government's plan to achieve a total industrial investment of more than 100 billion yuan ($14.29 billion) this year to help accelerate the formation of three pillar industrial clusters, each with an industrial production exceeding 100 billion yuan.

These industrial clusters involve new energy vehicles, new energy storage and metal processing.

According to Xu, Zhaoqing has become an important production base for new energy vehicles in Guangdong is recognized as a global production base.

The city is home to more than 100 new energy vehicle enterprises of above-designated size, covering the fields of whole vehicle assembly, power batteries, motors and electronic control, chassis and lightweight production.

Last year, Zhaoqing's industrial output value from new energy vehicles hit more than 80 billion yuan, said Xu.

Zhaoqing's production of energy-storage lithium batteries accounts for one-sixth of the country's total. It forms the basis of an ecological manufacturing field dominated by chemical energy storage and has been listed as a key city of the energy storage industry cluster on the west bank of the Pearl River estuary.

In 2023, Zhaoqing's industrial output value from its energy storage sector reached more than 50 billion yuan.

Great efforts will also be made to accelerate the innovation of green technology, the promotion and application of advanced green technologies and the green transformation of industries, including building materials, hardware and papermaking.

Meanwhile, Zhaoqing has reserved sufficient space for developing its manufacturing industry and undertakes the transfer of high-quality industries from the core cities in the GBA to settle down in the city, Xu added.