Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region plans to accelerate the development of its competitive industries, focusing on advanced manufacturing, digital infrastructure and clean energy as it seeks to build a modern industrial system with stronger national competitiveness, a senior regional official said at the ongoing two sessions.

Chen Chunping, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress and vice-chairman of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, said at the region's open day at the two sessions that the region's economic growth and household income expansion have ranked among the top six nationwide for four consecutive years, supported largely by industrial upgrading.

"Looking ahead, Ningxia will continue promoting six major industrial clusters and four key sectors, with an emphasis on intelligent, green and integrated development," Chen said.

"The goal is to build a modern industrial system with distinctive regional advantages and stronger competitiveness," he added.

A key priority will be upgrading traditional industries, which remain a large share of Ningxia's economy but are increasingly being transformed through technology, green development and digitalization.

"Traditional industries do not mean outdated industries," Chen said. "They can also embody high technology and new quality productive forces."

Ningxia plans to implement five major initiatives aimed at boosting the quality of manufacturing and strengthening key industrial supply chains. These include adopting advanced standards and using technological, environmental and digital upgrades to turn traditional sectors into competitive strengths.

The region's modern chemicals sector has already exceeded 200 billion yuan ($27.8 billion) in output value. Ningxia is also China's largest producer of coal-to-liquids fuels, while products such as spandex and aramid fibers rank among the country's top 5 by output.