# China economic development and industrial transformation

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/china-economic-development-and-industrial-transformation
> Updated: 2026-08-27T07:55:30.000Z. Sources: 4. Developments: 2.

China is experiencing growth in its economic development zones and industrial transformation. In 2025, national-level economic and technological development zones showed continued expansion, generating 15.4 trillion yuan in GDP and accounting for 11.4% of the country’s total output. These zones host over 7 million foreign-invested firms and contribute significantly to foreign trade and investment.

Building on this momentum, China’s economic development new momentum index rose 12.5% to 153.0 in 2025. This increase is attributed to accelerated industrial transformation and innovation-led development. Key drivers include a 22.7% rise in the transformation and upgrading index, high-tech manufacturing, and a 27.1% increase in exports of ‘new three’ products, which include electric vehicles, photovoltaic products, and lithium batteries. Additionally, R&D expenditure reached 3.9 trillion yuan, and the network economy index grew by 10.8% due to 5G expansion and e-commerce growth.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-27: China economic development new momentum index rises 12.5% to 153.0

China's economic development new momentum index rose 12.5% to 153.0 in 2025, fueled by high-tech manufacturing, R&D growth, and a surge in electric vehicle and green energy exports.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-economic-development-new-momentum-index-rises-125-to-1530

### 2026-07-30: China Ministry of Commerce reports record growth in national-level development zones

China’s Ministry of Commerce reports record GDP, trade and innovation growth in national-level development zones, with plans to refine assessment metrics and boost high‑quality development.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-ministry-of-commerce-reports-record-growth-in-national-level-development-zones

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Cite as: China economic development and industrial transformation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/china-economic-development-and-industrial-transformation