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Enterprises that are specialized, innovative, distinctive, and of high quality, as well as those that are industry champions, constitute the most dynamic and promising group within the private economy. In recent years, the petrochemical industry has shown outstanding performance in fostering enterprises that are specialized, innovative, and of high quality, as well as enterprises that excel in specific areas. How can more such enterprises be developed to promote the growth of the private economy? At the forum on the development of specialized, innovative, and high-quality petrochemical enterprises, which was held as a sub-forum of the 2025 China Petroleum and Chemical Private Economy High-Quality Development Conference in Tianjin, several industry experts provided answers to this question. Significant results achieved in tiered development. Li Bin, vice president of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, noted that in recent years, the petrochemical industry has been committed to promoting the tiered development of private enterprises, actively establishing a growth pathway that goes from innovative small and medium-sized enterprises to specialized and high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises, further to small giant enterprises, and ultimately to industry champions in manufacturing – with positive results achieved as a result. “The number and proportion of specialized, innovative, and high-quality ‘little giant’ enterprises in the petrochemical industry have seen double growth for four consecutive years. ”Zhang Yan, a senior expert at the Committee for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, analyzed that the number of petroleum and chemical enterprises recognized as \"little giants\" at the national level in batches 1 through 7 increased from 29 to 511, while their proportion rose from 11.7% to 14.68%. Zhuang Xiangning, director of the Quality, Safety, and Environmental Protection Department of the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, noted that among the 1,861 enterprises that were recognized as industry champions across nine categories, 258 were from the petroleum and chemical sector, accounting for 13.86% – ranking third among all industrial sectors. In terms of ownership type, private enterprises outnumber all others by a large margin. Among the nine categories of individual champions, private enterprises were the most numerous among oil and chemical companies, totaling 195 firms (including those controlled by private owners), accounting for 75.6% of them. More high-quality enterprises are needed. “The petrochemical industry has given rise to a number of ‘hidden champions’ that possess core technologies in specific areas and lead the world in terms of market share, thereby injecting new momentum into the industry’s high-quality development.” However, we must also be clearly aware that the development of the private petrochemical industry still faces many challenges at present. ”Li Bin pointed out that, first, the capacity for technological innovation remains weak, with some key core products still relying on imports; second, there is insufficient coordination within the industrial chain, and the mechanisms for interaction between upstream and downstream entities are not yet well-established; third, international expansion is still in its initial stages, and the ability to allocate resources globally needs to be improved; fourth, the systems for ensuring availability of factors such as talent, capital, and standards still need to be perfected. In this regard, Zhuang Xiangning believes that accelerating the development of high-quality enterprises, represented by manufacturing industry champions and specialized, innovative \"little giant\" enterprises, is an essential requirement for stimulating the vitality of market entities and promoting high-quality development in the manufacturing sector. It is also a pressing need to prevent and address potential risks, as well as to enhance the autonomy and control over industrial chains and supply chains. Fostering more single-champion enterprises and specialized, sophisticated “little giants” capable of strengthening and consolidating the industrial chain in key areas of manufacturing plays an indispensable role in advancing new-type industrialization and promoting the upgrading of industrial foundations and the modernization of industrial chains. Mu Xinquan, a second-level inspector at the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, also said that specialized and innovative enterprises represent the \"new force\" in industrial and supply chains; they indicate the direction of industrial upgrading, serve as important vehicles for technological innovation, and are an essential element for enhancing the resilience and security of these chains. Great emphasis should be placed on the development of specialized, innovative, and high-quality enterprises; policy support must be continued to strengthen, and a tiered development framework should be established to effectively promote the high-quality growth of small and medium-sized enterprises. Take multiple measures for sustained efforts. So, how can the petrochemical industry go about fostering enterprises that are leaders in their fields or those that are specialized and innovative? In terms of industrial direction, Zheng Baoshan, deputy director of the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Planning Institute, suggests focusing on fine chemicals and strategically important emerging industries. It is necessary to accelerate the industrialization of products that fill existing gaps, improve the quality of existing products, overcome bottlenecks in the supply of key raw materials required for industrial operations, and provide customized services to meet the specific needs of different customers. From the perspective of quality management, Li Xubo, deputy director of the special project office at the Fifth Electronics Research Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that efforts should be made to improve quality awareness, quality capabilities, and quality performance. To enhance quality awareness, quality management activities must be integrated and linked organically with the company’s business objectives, with a hierarchical model used to outline the path and blueprint for the company’s quality management. To improve quality capabilities, it is necessary to apply quality techniques, tools, and methods, through effective data analysis and the empowerment provided by next-generation information technologies. To improve quality performance, it is necessary to establish a comprehensive set of performance indicators, and systematically apply benchmarking methods to take into account both the quality management processes and the actual quality performance, thereby achieving sustainable development. A pilot plant is an important platform for transforming laboratory results into technologies suitable for mass production. Zheng Tianlong, deputy director of the Raw Materials Industry Division at the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, suggested that the construction of pilot production bases should facilitate the process of transformation in order to improve its efficiency; collaborative platforms should be established to strengthen innovation support; approval procedures should be simplified to enhance service efficiency; and strict management practices should be adopted to ensure safety and environmental protection. “To make the development of specialized, innovative, and distinctive enterprises a strategic priority, it needs to be implemented by the company’s strategic department. The application materials should have a coherent structure that highlights the company’s strengths and characteristics; the definition of business activities must take into account policy guidelines; a purely formulaic approach to filling in blanks or answering questions should be avoided, as well as repeated descriptions and clichéd statements, while fabricated data and contradictory information must not be included. For obscure concepts (products, technologies), appropriate explanations should be provided, and examples can be given if necessary. ”Zhang Yan provided guidance on the specific application process. “Being specialized, innovative, distinctive, and high-quality is not an endpoint, but a starting point toward excellence; being a champion in a specific field is not a trophy, but a driving force for continuous innovation. Li Bin emphasized that private petrochemical enterprises should maintain their confidence and strive to reach new heights, working with perseverance over many years to delve deeper into specific fields, overcome technical limitations, and create more world-class brands made in China.