Action plans released for city's 'four brands'

Shanghai issued three-year action plans today to advance the city's "four brands" – services, manufacturing, shopping and culture.

Based on the achievements of the first round of comprehensive development in 2018-2020, the latest action plans map out a new round of "four brands" promotions for 2021-2023, according to the city government.

For shopping, the city clarified its goal to build an international consumption center with global influence,  attractiveness and competitiveness.

It accentuated the progression on promoting "debut economy" of which businesses are lured to open their first stores and launch new products in Shanghai, cultivating local brands, boosting the nighttime economy and advancing the digital transformation of businesses, for which the city released 24 specific missions focused on eight special campaigns.

Liu Min, deputy director of the municipal commission of commerce, said the commission has set a goal for total retail sales of consumer goods in the city at more than 1.8 trillion yuan a year by 2023, while the turnover of online shopping in Shanghai is expected to top 1.6 trillion yuan in 2023.

With the cultivation of local new brands and innovation from time-honored brands, or Laozihao, Shanghai aims to see around 160 local brands playing a leading role in the market.

It will also enhance the global influence of the Shanghai Double Five Shopping Festival, and lure more brands to launch new products and exhibitions in the city, pursuing a goal to bring in more than 2,400 brands to set up their first stores in Shanghai by 2023.

In terms of manufacturing, the city sees high-quality development as pivotal, and will accelerate the three leading industries – integrated circuits, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence – six key industrial clusters (electronic information, health care, automobile, high-end equipments, advanced materials, and fashion products) and the digital transformation of industries. 

It will also promote the integration of manufacturing and services, and enhance collaboration with other areas in the Yangtze River Delta region, said Zhang Hongtao, chief engineer of the Shanghai Economic and Information Technology Commission.

By 2023, the three leading industries are expected to grow by around 50 percent, with three or four new innovation platforms at the national level and 10 to 15 companies awarded as national quality and integrity benchmark enterprises.

Output of strategic emerging industries in the manufacturing sector is projected to account for around 42 percent of the city's overall industrial production (of enterprises above a designated size) by that time.

The city also hopes to see four companies make the list of the global top 500 manufacturing enterprises.

To foster the Shanghai Services brand, authorities will advance 13 special campaigns and set 56 tasks in detail, according to Qiu Wenjin, deputy director of the city's development and reform commission.

The campaigns will focus on enhancing services for finance, trade, shipping, sci-tech innovation, urban management and governance, and special services, as well as promoting high-quality education, care for the elderly and the construction of a city of design, health, tourism and sporting events.

In terms of culture, the city will popularize Chinese "red culture," the culture of Shanghai, or haipai culture, and Jiangnan culture – the culture of areas south of the Yangtze River.

The city will deepen the study and exploration of its local culture, encourage high-quality works of literature and art, and upgrade major local cultural festivals, such as the Shanghai International Film Festival, China Shanghai International Arts Festival, ChinaJoy, Shanghai Book Fair and Shanghai Tourism Festival.