Workers assemble vehicles in a smart factory of Chang'an Kuayue Automobile Co., Ltd. in Wanzhou District, Chongqing Municipality, on September 23, 2020 (XINHUA) 

China will see 70 percent of its major manufacturing firms basically digitalized and networked by 2025, according to a development plan on smart manufacturing.

The plan, issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments, also states that all of China's manufacturing firms above a designated size will be digitalized and networked by 2035.

China will also build more than 500 industry-leading smart-manufacturing demonstration plants by 2025, according to the plan.

Although China's smart manufacturing has progressed from the pilot test phase to application, it still lags behind the standard of high-quality development.

The plan proposes a range of special actions, including innovation, application, supply and support, to advance the development of smart manufacturing.