, Dec. 27 -- China made significant progress in industrial technology innovation in 2025, with the size of its core artificial intelligence (AI) sector surpassing 1 trillion yuan (around $142 billion), according to a national conference on industry and information technology held on Friday.

The conference said that under its 2026 plans, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will focus on nurturing and expanding emerging and future-oriented industries, while continuing to strengthen research and development in AI.

The ministry plans to build new key growth sectors, including integrated circuits, next-generation display technologies, advanced materials, aerospace, the low-altitude economy and biomedicine.

Officials projecte...