On April 19, 2022, the Information Office of the State Council held a press conference to release the development of industry and informatization in the first quarter of 2022. Luo Junjie, spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and director of the Operation Monitoring and Coordination Bureau, and Zhao Zhiguo, press spokesman and director of the Information and Communication Administration, attended the press conference to introduce the relevant situation and answer reporters' questions. The following is the transcript of the press conference:

The development of industry and informatization in the first quarter of 2022

Luo Junjie, spokesperson of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and director of the Operation Monitoring and Coordination Bureau: Ladies and gentlemen, friends of the press, good morning! First of all, I sincerely thank you for your concern and support for the development of industry and informatization. Below, I will briefly introduce the development of industry and informatization in the first quarter of 2022.

Since the beginning of this year, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has thoroughly implemented the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, coordinated the prevention and control of the epidemic and economic and social development, grasped the epidemic prevention and control work in a strict and down-to-earth manner, conscientiously implemented the "six stability" and "six guarantees" tasks, worked hard to overcome difficulties, and worked with relevant departments to introduce a series of policies to help enterprises bail out and promote the steady growth of the industrial economy. Positive results have been achieved in the development of industry and informatization. We have taken five main initiatives.

First, efforts should be made to reinvigorate the industrial economy. We have strengthened departmental coordination, ministry-province linkage, and coordinated the implementation of policies, ensuring supply and stability chain, helping enterprises to bail out, and guiding expectations, so as to promote the stable recovery of the industrial economy. From the perspective of economic indicators, we feel that there are four bright spots, and I would like to report to my friends. First, industrial production remained stable, and the added value of industries above designated size increased by 6.5% year-on-year in the first quarter, 2.6 percentage points higher than that in the fourth quarter of last year, showing a good trend of rebounding quarter by quarter. Second, the proportion of manufacturing further increased, at 28.9% in the first quarter, an increase of 1.3 percentage points year-on-year, reaching the highest value since 2016. Third, the driving role of industrial exports continued to increase, and the export delivery value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 14.4% year-on-year in the first quarter, which has maintained double-digit growth for one consecutive year. Fourth, manufacturing investment rebounded significantly, with manufacturing investment in the first quarter increasing by 15.6% year-on-year, 2.1 percentage points faster than in 2021.

Second, continue to increase the intensity of assistance to enterprises to bail out. We adhere to the two hands of bailout and peiyou, and strive to play a good "combination fist" of the preferential enterprise policy to promote the stable and healthy development of small and medium-sized enterprises. Adhere to the policy of benefiting enterprises, serving enterprises, and environmental revitalization enterprises, coordinate the implementation of a series of policies for the relief and assistance of small and medium-sized enterprises, promote the acceleration of policies and measures such as tax reduction and fee reduction, financial credit, and job stability and job expansion, and improve the long-term working mechanism for clearing up arrears to small and medium-sized enterprises. Accelerate the promotion of the new development of small and medium-sized enterprises, study and formulate management measures for the gradient cultivation of high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises, start the implementation of the enterprise management improvement action plan (2022-2025), organize the cultivation and selection of single champion enterprises (products) in the manufacturing industry, and study and formulate a "hand in hand" action plan to promote the integration and innovation of large and small enterprises. In the first quarter, the added value of small and medium-sized industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 7.8% year-on-year, 1.3 percentage points higher than that of the overall industry.

The relevant situation is introduced here, and my colleague Mr. Zhao Zhiguo and I are very willing to answer the questions raised by you. Thank you!