Workers process aluminum products on an intelligent production line at a new material base in Fuzhou, East China"s Jiangxi Province on March 2, 2026. Photo: VCG

　　The inclusion of new materials in the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee"s recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) marks a strategic shift: They are no longer just a supporting element in China"s industrial chain but have become a fundamental pillar of the modern industrial system and new quality productive forces, a national political advisor told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of China"s annual "two sessions."

　　With the inclusion, efforts to tackle key core technologies will be further strengthened, especially in the fields of high-end functional materials and advanced structural materials, said Yang Quanhong, a member of the 14th Chinese People"s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee and a professor at Tianjin University, told the Global Times.

　　In addition, pilot testing, technology transfer and application scenarios will be given more attention, which will help break through the key barrier between the laboratory and the production line, Yang said, adding that a third point would be that the combination of material innovation and industrial innovation will become closer in the next five years.

　　The remarks by Yang came as a number of national lawmakers and political advisors stressed the importance of sci-tech innovation at the ongoing "two sessions."

　　Zeng Yuqun, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and chairperson of Chinese battery manufacturer CATL, stressed at a group interview at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last week that homegrown innovation lies at the core of the rise of China"s new-energy sector.