New materials are the foundation of emerging industries and future industries, which is an important field to seize the strategic commanding heights in science and economic development and an important driving force for China to promote its new industrialization. This study analyzes the application trend of new materials in the fields of information, energy, biotechnology, and deep-space and deep-sea exploration, and finds that the combination of new materials or deep integration with other disciplines or fields is becoming an important feature of new materials development. Moreover, it analyzes the development status of the new material industry in China from the aspects of industrial scale, technological innovation capability, enterprises, and industry clusters, and summarizes the problems regarding the development of the industry. For instance, key raw materials of the industry still rely on imports, the core equipment cannot be independently produced, the self-sufficiency rate of high-end products is insufficient, some key products lack application iteration, and the standards and evaluation systems require improvement. Nine and seven key areas are proposed for the development of the emerging industries and future industries, respectively. Furthermore, we propose the following suggestions to promote the high-quaility development of the new material
industry of China: strengthening the foundation for new material industry development, improving the industry chain of new materials, creating a sound environment for industrial development, and improving the supporting policies for industrial development.

The green environmental protection industry has the dual attributes of driving economic growth and coping with environmental problems. The deep integration of “four chains” (i.e., innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains) is crucial for the high-quality development of the green environmental protection industry and the achievement of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. Considering the development status of the green environmental protection industry, this study analyzes the characteristics of four-chain integration at different stages of enterprise development. In the early stage of establishment, the capital chain is key to enterprises and an industrial chain is gradually formed driven by the innovation and talent chains. During business expansion of enterprises, the industrial chain is extended, driven by the capital chain and supported by the innovation and talent chains. At the mature stage, enterprises can carry out strategic layout based on the industrial chain while maintaining the innovation chain. However, the four-chain integration in the green environmental protection industry of China still face several problems, including weak connection between the innovation and industrial chains, weak support of the capital chain to other chains, insufficient integration between the talent chain and the innovation and capital chains. To address this, we propose the following suggestions: (1) developing a low-carbon innovation strategy roadmap to clarify the development paths for four-chain integration; (2) improving the compatibility between the innovation and industrial chains; (3) optimizing the capital chain to improve its integration with other chains; (4) improving the talent chain; and (5) clarifying the driving chains according to the development stages of enterprises to ensure the effective integration of the “four chains”.

Solid waste recycling saves resources and energy, reduces carbon emissions, and plays a vital role in forming a green and low-carbon mode of production and living and achieving the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. This study analyzes the development status of the solid waste recycling industry in China and abroad and explores the major challenges faced by the industry of China in terms of process of industrialization, capital investment, and technological innovation. Combined with typical case analyses, we propose the following suggestions to promote the high-quality development of China’s solid waste recycling industry: (1) promoting the process of industrialization to integrate the industrial, innovation, talent, and capital chains; (2) reinforcing incentive policies to consolidate the financial foundation; (3) establishing scientific innovation hubs by strengthening project demonstrations; (4) gathering professional talents to build a high-level cooperation platform.

The virtual reality (VR) technology brings a new multi-sensory interactive experience to users with a high degree of immersion, generates emerging service formats, empowers the upgrading of traditional industries, and provides high value-added,high-level, and diversified services to society. This study outlines the VR industry chain and the development trends of key technologies,and analyzes the prospects, methods, and scenario classification of the integration of VR and the service industry. The study reveals the development trends and major challenges of China’s VR industry in terms of industrial chain supply, application implementation,industry standards, and professional talent cultivation. Furthermore, we propose the following recommendations: (1) strengthening investment in basic research and development, focusing on breaking through core technical difficulties; (2) cultivating leading pilot projects to create demonstration platforms; (3) building a supporting service system to create a sound industrial development environment; and (4) increasing efforts in talent training and international cooperation to enhance China’s competitive advantages in the global arrangement of the VR industry, thereby accelerating the intelligent, interactive, and customized development of the service industry.

As an important part of strategic emerging industries, the new-generation information technology plays a major leading role in the overall and long-term development of the economy and society. The new-generation information technology industry is also the cornerstone for cultivating new quality productivity, and is an important starting point for opening up new fields and tracks for development and for shaping new momentum and advantages. Based on the implications of the new-generation information technology industry, this study sorts out the global development trend of the new-generation information technology industry, summarizes the current status and development trend of the industry in China, and analyzes the opportunities and challenges faced by the industry. Moreover, focusing on the requirements of high-quality development of the new-generation information technology industry, the study proposes the following countermeasures and suggestions: (1) improving the integrated strategic system and capabilities while adhering to a system engineering thinking; (2) strengthening the research of key core technologies to strengthen the basic capacity of the industry; (3) promoting the integrated and clustered development of industries, highlighting enterprises as the main body; (4) constructing an open innovation ecosystem based on scenario-driven innovation; and (5) promoting the coordinated development of production, education, research, application, and funds to cultivate a high-level talent team.

Vehicle ‒ energy‒road‒ cloud collaboration seamlessly integrates vehicles, energy, transportation, and the cloud, which is conducive to accelerating the formation of a new intelligent, low-carbon, safe, and efficient ecosystem of travel and life. The collaboration aims to promote the high-quality development of the automobile industry. However, in the new technological situation, further forming a sound ecology that features “intelligent car + interactive energy + digital road + collaborative cloud” and exploiting its value advantages are important tasks for the vehicle‒energy‒road‒cloud collaboration in China. This study analyzes the development trend of China’s automobile industry in the context of new energy transformation, the development of intelligent connected vehicles, artificial intelligence, carbon neutrality, and other new technological situations. It introduces the system composition, current development status, interrelationships, and overall framework of the vehicle‒energy‒road‒cloud industry from five aspects: vehicle, energy, road, cloud, and industry integration. This study also summarizes the opportunities and challenges faced by the integrated development of China’s vehicle‒energy‒road‒cloud industry. Based on this analysis, this study proposes countermeasures and suggestions for the vehicle ‒ energy‒ road ‒ cloud collaboration, covering five aspects: adhering to an application-oriented principle, promoting positive innovation, demonstrating city-level applications, leveraging diversified investments, and promoting the efficient development of circular industries. These suggestions aim to provide references for the high-quality collaboration of China’s vehicle, energy, road, and cloud industries, thereby strengthening the automobile, transportation, and manufacturing sectors of China.

Promoting the deep integration of the innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains, and improving industrial innovation capabilities are key for China’s strategic emerging industries to move toward the middle and high ends of the global industrial chain and achieve high-quality development. This study systematically analyzes the essential requirements and implications of high-quality development of strategic emerging industries, clarifies their evolution and trends worldwide, and summarizes the development status, problems, and challenges of China’s strategic emerging industries. Additionally, it proposes a high-quality development path that is innovation-driven, enterprise-oriented, open, and integrated, and the development principles of system integration, coordinated development, independence, open innovation, enterprise dominance, market mechanism, forward-looking layout, and high-end guidance. Moreover, key development directions and the development strategies of systematic improvement, integrated innovation,market-oriented promotion, and guided development are proposed.

The carbon peaking and carbon neutralization goals as well as the carbon trading system reforms of the European Union (EU) necessitate the synergy of energy conservation, pollution control, and carbon reduction in China to achieve low- and zero-carbon transformation of its manufacturing industry. This study focuses on the impact of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on China’s manufacturing industry, clarifies the concept of a near-zero-carbon manufacturing system, and elaborates on its core content from the major dimensions of key technologies, measurement basis, and market driving force. It also proposes the technical development directions of the near-zero-carbon manufacturing system from the aspects of product manufacturing and power supply and suggests the establishment of a source-grid-load carbon measurement system to clarify carbon emission responsibilities. Moreover, the future development path for China’s carbon market is explored after reviewing the carbon markets both in China and abroad. The practical solutions proposed by the study is expected to provide a basic reference for promoting the high-quality development and low-carbon transformation of China’s manufacturing industry.