BEIJING, Oct. 20 -- China has issued a development plan for the advertising industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), setting an average annual growth target of around 10 percent for the sector.

The plan, jointly released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and six other authorities, aims to achieve sustained improvement in the quality of advertising businesses, greater investment in research, development and creativity, and significantly enhanced digital and intelligent capabilities.

Over the period, advertising is expected to play a stronger role in supporting industrial upgrading, boosting consumption and advancing the globalization of Chinese brands.

The plan also outlines coordinated development among large, medium-sized and small advertising companies, deeper collaboration across the industrial chain, and new progress in regional coordination.

It calls for a marked improvement in the quality of advertising works and further refinement of advertising laws and regulations.

The plan notes that from 2026 to 2030, the industry faces both opportunities and challenges. It states the implementation of strategies to build China into a powerhouse in manufacturing, quality and culture, along with the accelerated upgrading of the service sector, will strengthen the industry's role in serving the country's overall development and empowering various sectors.

However, insufficient effective domestic demand puts pressure on small and medium-sized advertising firms, and shortcomings remain in innovation capacity, originality, cultivation of leading enterprises and coordinated regional development, according to the plan.

To address these challenges, the plan stresses innovation-driven development of the sector. Coordinated efforts will be made to advance digital and intelligent transformation, cultivate market entities, enhance creativity and develop talent, to drive all-round innovation in advertising technologies, content, business models and industry formats, and to strengthen the sector's core competitiveness.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China's advertising industry achieved notable progress. Advertising revenue of public institutions and major enterprises exceeded 2 trillion yuan (about 297.62 billion U.S. dollars), doubling from the previous five-year period.

A total of 30 national advertising industrial parks and a number of provincial-level parks have been built, with industrial clusters taking shape. Digital transformation has advanced steadily, with internet advertising accounting for 89.1 percent of advertising revenue across all media.