At a workshop of Tsingtuo Group in Ningde, Fujian province, an impressive piece of equipment was unveiled. The state-of-the-art stainless steel is only 1.6 millimeters thick, and will be used as a feedstock to make ballpoint pen tips. Specifically, the feedstock will be used for manufacturing tests .

"It requires the most high-grade, precision and advanced technology in the stainless steel industry to make the tips, which need to be easy to cut and not break when getting processed," said Xi Feifei, a researcher at the company. "To do that, an exact proportion of special microelements is key."

For a long time China, the biggest ballpoint pen producer in the world, relied on imported feedstocks. But circumstances changed in 2017, when Shanxi-based Taiyuan Iron and Steel Co Ltd independently developed a stainless steel model only 2.3 millimeters thick. Tsingtuo Group also developed a feedstock with the same thickness last year. This thinner variety is its latest product.

Zhong Shengjiang, Party secretary of the group, said the breakthrough owes to its emphasis on technological innovation.

At the exhibition hall of RICOM, an optical lens manufacturer in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, there are various lens including those used for the Shenzhou and Chang'e space missions, as well as an intelligent auto-focus lens used in smart city construction and the internet-of-things sector.

Hou Yanping, assistant chairman of the company, said it provides lens for renowned companies such as Huawei and video security firm Hikvision.

Investment in high-tech industries in Fujian grew 49.1 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2021, according to local authorities.

Xinhua contributed to this story.