Recent data from China's National Bureau of Statistics shows that the equipment purchase investment increased by 17.3 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2025, contributing around 86 percent of total investment growth. This surge in equipment investment, that is fueling greener, and more intelligent and digitalized industries, is being driven by a national trend of technology-driven transformation in the industrial sector.

Countrywide, enterprises are embracing intelligent equipment renewal to replace outdated and inefficient machinery. In Zhejiang, Kuaijishan Shaoxing Wine Co. invested over 10 million RMB to introduce 84 advanced membrane filter presses, doubling production efficiency and saving three million RMB annually.

Similar investments have been seen in Chongqing, Jiangsu, and Guangdong, where automated systems and high-end tools have driven sharp increases in output and quality.

China is also turning traditional workshops into smart factories. At Millison Technology in Hubei, digitalized production lines powered by AGVs, robotic arms, and real-time monitoring have slashed production time to just 100 seconds per engine block.

Across the nation, 80 percent of manufacturers now have digitalization plans, with over 40 percent adopting it as a core strategy. In Tianjin and Anhui, companies investing vast amounts of money in automation report not only efficiency gains, but also improvements in product quality and cost control.

Equally significant is the green shift sweeping energy-intensive sectors. Baogang Group, for example, has invested nearly 10 billion RMB in 124 ultra-low-emission upgrade projects, cutting sulfur dioxide emissions by nearly 57 percent. Nationwide, over 170 steel enterprises — accounting for 70 percent of China's crude steel capacity — have completed green transformations. Similar shifts are underway in cement and ceramics sectors, with cleaner energy use, waste heat recovery, and AI-assisted environmental controls becoming standard.

The equipment renewal is not just about upgrading machines — it is about reshaping the nation's overall industrial foundation. With an expected market size exceeding five trillion RMB annually, this new wave of equipment renewal is becoming a vital engine for high-quality growth, industrial modernization, and the emergence of new quality productive forces.