On Sept 3, 2026, ten government departments led by MIIT jointly issued China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for SME development. It targets 22,000 specialized 'little giant' firms and 50 China-foreign SME cooperation zones by 2030, with per capita operating revenue of major SMEs to grow about 15% cumulatively over the period. Measures include a second-phase national SME fund, easier financing, trademark and brand support, and mechanisms to resolve overdue payments owed to SMEs.
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China issues 15th Five-Year Plan for SMEs, targets 22,000 'little giant' firms by 2030
Why this matters for founders
Founders building specialized hard-tech or niche products should align to the 'little giant' criteria now and pursue the digital and green-transformation subsidies and financing channels the plan expands. Firms owed money by large clients can also use the new arrears-resolution mechanism to recover cash.
Source: Xinhua
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