Abstract: In response to major national strategic needs, the Yangtze Industrial Development Institute has completed the study “Foundation of a Great Nation: China's Path to Building a Modern Industrial System.” Facing challenges such as core technology bottlenecks and pressure to transform traditional industries, China urgently needs to shift toward a systematic, holistic, collaborative, and secure approach to industrial system development. A modern industrial system anchored by advanced manufacturing serves as the strategic foundation for ensuring the security, resilience, and efficient coordination of the nation's entire economic system. Guided by the concept of “Chinese modernization,” this work addresses three core questions: why build, what to build, and how to build. It systematically analyzes the theory and practice of a modern industrial system, revealing its intrinsic connection to Chinese-style modernization at the theoretical level. The study proposes a systemic shift from traditional “industrial policy” to “industrial chain policy.”
