The State Council issued a plan on Oct 27,2016 to promote the development of the rehabilitation and assistive products industry, aimed at meeting the growing demand of rehabilitation services in China and strengthening its competitiveness.
The cabinet made the goal that the output of the industry will surpass 700 billion yuan ($103.3 billion), a number of world-class Chinese brands and related industrial clusters will emerge and its share in high-end market will see a significant increase by 2020, according to the document.
The plan put forward four major tasks, concerning innovation capability, industry upgrade, effective market supply and a favorable market environment, to enhance industry development.
Enterprises, research institutions and universities are encouraged to integrate their resources, conducting relevant sci-tech innovation and basic technology research. Efforts are also needed to promote the online and offline trading of such innovative achievements and more policies are urged to nurture and absorb the best minds, according to the plan.
Some industrial parks, research centers and corporation headquarters will be constructed to optimize its industry layout and develop a rehabilitation and assistive products industry with high added value and low resource consumption.
Meanwhile, smart manufacturing technologies — such as industrial internet, cloud computing and big data — are expected to be applied to product research and design, production, business management, and sales and service, to upgrade the rehabilitation and assistive products industry.
Productive services, including financing, e-commerce, outsourcing and branding, should be strengthened to optimize the industry chain and accelerate efficient flow of industry elements, said the document.
Corporations in the industry are also encouraged to carry out international cooperation in trade, technology, and investment and production capability.