Lei Jun, Cai Chongxin, and Li Dongsheng—latest statements!

On March 22, at the China Development Forum 2026 Annual Conference, in the special session on “Technological Innovation and Future Industry Development,” Xiaomi Group Founder, Chairman, and CEO Lei Jun, Alibaba Group Chairman Cai Chongxin, and TCL Founder and Chairman Li Dongsheng shared their thoughts on emerging industries and future industry development.

Lei Jun: A Complete Industrial Ecosystem in China Is the Fertile Ground for Future Industry Growth

Lei Jun, founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, stated at the conference that China’s complete industrial ecosystem will be the fertile ground for future industry growth.

Lei Jun pointed out that this year marks the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, with a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerating in-depth evolution. Cultivating and strengthening future industries as a strategic move to shape new development drivers and gain new competitive advantages is not only a major strategic layout at the national level but also a significant development opportunity for all innovative enterprises.

How can technological innovation promote the development of future industries? Lei Jun said that the depth and breadth of existing industries directly affect the speed and height of future industry development. For example, Xiaomi has been developing embodied intelligent robots, which rely not only on breakthroughs in intelligent algorithms but also on supporting precise transmission and execution components like reducers and servo motors. A rich array of innovative technological routes, a complete industrial system, and strong industrial supporting capabilities will be the fertile ground for future industry development.

“Fostering future industries requires embracing uncertainty, and China is the most suitable market for developing high-uncertainty industries,” Lei Jun said. The massive market provides raw momentum and validation space, while companies connect technology with users, promoting technological optimization and iteration through open supply chains and application scenarios. This feedback loop driven by large-scale market demand—from demand to technology, to scenarios, to industry—is China’s unique advantage.

Lei Jun noted that Xiaomi’s first ten years involved promoting the popularization of smartphones and mobile internet. Currently, Xiaomi is further deepening its foundation in fields like large models, embodied intelligence, and 6G, strengthening transformation capabilities and striving to benefit the public through future industry development.

Cai Chongxin: The Ultimate Goal of AI Is to Make Its Applications Widespread

Cai Chongxin, Chairman of Alibaba Group, said at the conference that China’s technological development has always been based on independent innovation, adhering to the principles of openness, open source, and mutual benefit, committed to sharing development achievements with the world. If the past few decades were China’s “accumulation period” for technology, today China has entered a “blossoming” period of rapid growth. From new energy, electric vehicles, and high-end manufacturing to breakthroughs in robotics and artificial intelligence, China is at the best moment to share technological progress and achievements with the world.

In Cai Chongxin’s view, breakthroughs in Chinese AI depend on our belief in win-win open source collaboration. By 2025, China’s open-source models will lead the world in global downloads, allowing developers worldwide to access, fine-tune, and deploy these powerful models for free, greatly lowering the global barrier to using AI and making intelligent technology a true public good for all humanity.

Cai Chongxin emphasized that the ultimate goal of AI is to promote its application and benefit society, and Alibaba’s only direction is continuous innovation. “Alibaba’s development is rooted in China, and we are full of confidence in China’s market and economic future. We are actively promoting the implementation of applications in personal consumption, enterprise, healthcare, and finance, moving into an era driven by intelligent agents AI.”

Cai Chongxin stated that in this era of uncertainty, Chinese technology companies are more willing and capable of providing certainty. “I firmly believe that the achievements of Chinese technology will benefit the world.”

Li Dongsheng: A Modern Industrial System Requires Both Hard Support and Soft Environment

Li Dongsheng, founder and chairman of TCL, said at the conference that building a modern industrial system is a systematic project that requires both technological breakthroughs and capital investment as hard support, as well as institutional innovation and open collaboration as soft support. It also requires a more open attitude to embrace the world.

Li Dongsheng pointed out that emerging pillar industries such as integrated circuits, new display technologies, new energy, and new materials generally feature high technology, heavy assets, and long cycles. From cutting-edge technology R&D to industrial implementation, it depends on the dual drive of technology and capital. “Facing future competition, companies should increase investment in basic technology research and effectively connect laboratory research to industrialization,” he said.

Li Dongsheng also noted that China’s advanced manufacturing industry is currently in a stage of capital accumulation, with direct financing, especially equity financing, being the main channel for long-term capital formation. Enterprises should leverage policy financial tools to provide long-term, stable equity financing. He suggested that regulators relax approval restrictions on financing for advanced manufacturing, facilitate leading companies’ financing through capital markets and industry mergers and acquisitions, and foster a virtuous cycle of technological breakthroughs and capital returns.

Li Dongsheng stated, “The 14th Five-Year Plan divides manufacturing into traditional, emerging, and future industries, but these are not simply sequential or substitutive; they are mutually empowering and coexisting. The broad application scenarios provide fertile ground for AI technology to be tested and implemented. Meanwhile, new technology applications push hardware manufacturers to enhance R&D and manufacturing capabilities, driving the overall leap of Chinese manufacturing and cultivating a batch of globally competitive, world-class tech brands.”

“China’s economic globalization still has enormous potential. Enterprises, as economic entities, should proactively expand foreign investment and international cooperation,” Li Dongsheng said. To achieve global transformation, companies should move toward a Globalization 3.0 stage, from product export to co-building industrial capabilities, rooted overseas, integrated into local markets, and enhancing global resource allocation.

Layout: Liu Junyu

Proofreading: Liao Shengchao