Shanxi province will build its capital city Taiyuan and surrounding areas into the core area of the province's new materials industrial research and development and its technological innovation -- as well as a new materials industry base with a valuation of 100 billion yuan ($14.09 billion), according to local officials. 

Relying on its rich resources, Shanxi's new materials industry has grown rapidly with production capacity and output of some sectors now at the forefront of China and even the world, officials said.

For example, the annual output of coal-based kaolin deep-processing products amounts to 600,000 tons, ranking first in the country and making Shanxi a major producer in the world. 

To promote the high-end, intelligent and large-scale development of the new materials industry, Shanxi Department of Industry and Information Technology has drawn out a three-year plan running from 2019 and 2021. 

According to the plan, a core area, five industrial belts and seven industrial clusters will be developed. 

The province plans to develop Taiyuan and surrounding areas into the core area for new materials industrial R&D -- as well as a new material industry base with a valuation of 100 billion yuan -- by making full use of local universities and scientific research institutes in terms of their talent and technology. 

As for the industrial belts, Shanxi will develop a raft of areas, officials said.

These include advanced metal materials, new chemical materials, new inorganic non-metallic materials, cutting-edge new materials and bio-based new materials industrial belts -- all combining with local cities' existing sectors. 

Seven new material-related industrial clusters -- including clusters for special steel, semiconductors, deep processing of aluminum-magnesium alloy and NdFeB permanent magnet materials -- will be built within the three years.