In 2025, Ordos in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region made steady progress in developing "four world-class industries", strengthening its overall economic resilience and serving as a model for the high-quality transformation of resource-based cities.

The added value of the city's industrial output above designated size grew 6.8 percent year-on-year from January to November, with fixed-asset investment rising 1 percent and retail sales of consumer goods increasing 6.3 percent compared to the same period in 2024.

Transform traditional industries

At the Shendong mining area, the self-developed Zaishan intelligent mining transport robots have fully automated the coal extraction process, ensuring efficient production and ample nationwide energy supply.

In Uxin Banner, which has a capacity of 3 million metric tons and is world's largest single-factory olefin project, began operating, showcasing Ordos' strength in coal chemical industries.

Despite global economic challenges and volatility in the energy market, Ordos leveraged its abundant resources – it holds one-sixth of China's coal and one-third of its natural gas – to ensure energy security while pursuing industrial upgrading.

By 2025, Ordos had completed 4.2 billion tons of national coal supply tasks, accounting for 77.8 percent of Inner Mongolia's quota. The city had built 192 green mines, including 20 national-level and 172 regional-level sites, leading the region in sustainable mining practices.

The city's traditional industries were upgraded and diversified. Coal power and new energy integration accelerated the construction of renewable energy bases in sandy and Gobi deserts, turning the Kubuqi Desert into a "photovoltaic and green electricity wall". Coal chemical clusters in the Ordos–Yulin–Ningdong area transformed into high-end manufacturing clusters, while the cashmere industry leveraged Albas goat breeding bases and smart production parks to solidify Ordos' position as a global cashmere hub.

Innovation drives new growth

Ordos pursued technological innovation as a core growth engine. Key projects in 2025 included a MWh-level high-temperature industrial heat storage pilot device, a modern coal chemical innovation pilot base, and the first domestic "sand thermal battery", promoting localized green energy consumption.

The city also established a comprehensive innovation ecosystem, funding over 1.6 billion yuan ($228.57 million) in research, launching 45 city-level "targeted problem-solving" projects, and hosting three editions of the "Ordos Cup" innovation and entrepreneurship competition, which attracted 49 enterprises.

The number of high-tech and technology-driven small and medium-sized enterprises in the city exceeded 1,000. Advanced projects, such as 343 autonomous heavy trucks completing over 30 million kilometers and transporting more than 25 million tons of goods, have earned Ordos a spot in the Ministry of Transport's second batch of intelligent transport pilot applications.

Reform and market vitality

Ordos also enhanced its business environment. Its 6.0-version reform initiatives included over 1,200 measures, streamlined government services, and efficient project approvals. Investment promotion efforts earned the city recognition for both its "investment attractiveness" and its "investment environment quality".

Talent attraction policies, including the "Double 30" program, strengthened the city's human capital, earning Ordos a place among China's first "employment-friendly cities" in 2025. Industrial policies promoted inclusive growth, linking secondary industries with agriculture to boost rural incomes. Initiatives such as "integrated planting for shared prosperity" and "work-for-relief" projects increased earnings for thousands of farmers, turning their aspirations for a better life into tangible outcomes.