The revitalization plan aims to address the weaknesses in fine chemicals”

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The revitalization plan aims to address the weaknesses in the fine chemical industry by providing support for such products; this is a key component of the \"Petroleum and Chemical Industry Adjustment and Revitalization Plan\". The introduction of these plans is expected to lift the fine chemicals industry to a new level, helping it reduce its reliance on imports and facilitating the upgrading of the petrochemical industry. For a long time, the development of China’s chemical industry has been rather extensive, resulting in an overcapacity of production for high-consumption primary chemical products; exports also consist mainly of such products. Fine chemicals, which are at the high end of the chemical industry, have developed slowly and lag behind in terms of technology. Their products cannot meet domestic demand, so there is a heavy reliance on imports, including various new chemical materials such as aluminum silicate, calcium carbonate, silicone, polyesters, and engineering plastics, as well as new types of pesticides and fine phosphorus-based chemical products. In recent years, through repeated guidance, industrial upgrading has continued to advance, production technologies in the fine chemical sector have improved, and breakthroughs have been achieved in certain products. For example, before the 1990s, China’s ultra-fine aluminum silicate market was monopolized by foreign countries. To achieve the domestic production of ultra-fine aluminum silicate, China has designated the development of ultra-fine aluminum silicate as a key research project. It was developed successfully in 1988 by the Tianjin Chemical Research Institute under the former Ministry of Chemical Industry, and passed the technical appraisal by the same ministry in 1990, filling a gap in China’s research and production of this product. After the domestic production of ultra-fine aluminum silicate became possible, its lower price compared to similar foreign products attracted many coating manufacturers to use it in the production of environmentally friendly latex paints. Furthermore, the application prospects in the paper industry are also very attractive. However, at present, the quality and cost of some domestic fine chemicals still make it difficult for them to compete with imported products. At the same time, China’s fine chemical industry still suffers from two major drawbacks: a low capacity for independent development and an unreasonable product structure. There is more research on product synthesis and process development, whereas there is less research on corresponding engineering development, equipment design, and pollution treatment technologies. Research on application and market development is even weaker, and there are few series of products with distinct characteristics. The \"Plan for the Adjustment and Revitalization of the Petrochemical Industry\" has paid special attention to the aforementioned issues. Among them, efforts are made to promote the development of fine chemical products such as specialty chemical raw materials, specialty fibers, and engineering plastics. At the same time, the planning involves a lot in terms of technology within the chemical industry, including giving priority domestically to certain technological projects that can boost the industry. In fact, the development of the fine chemical industry still requires more support. In addition to planning, various policy supports in areas such as finance and import/export taxes are also necessary.