The real economy is an important pillar of national strength, and consolidating and strengthening the foundation of the real economy is of decisive significance for building a modern economic system and promoting high-quality development. The real economy has some typical characteristics: relying on specific means of production and labor for transformation, it has tangible and touchable physical forms or utilities; Provide funding needs, investment targets, and value support for the virtual economy, while also providing basic living materials, production materials, and public services for society; The natural growth rhythm of the development cycle that is more in line with social needs is the cornerstone of the stable operation of the economic system; Concentrating in labor-intensive or technology intensive fields such as manufacturing and service industries can effectively drive employment; It is the main application scenario and transformation carrier of technological innovation. The foundation of the real economy has five characteristics. The foundation of the real economy emphasizes the fundamental position of the real economy in the national economic system, and emphasizes the fundamental support of the real economy for the stability, security, development, and international competitiveness of the national economy. In particular, the core position and irreplaceable role of the real economy as the foundation of the national economy, the source of wealth, and the foundation of a strong country. The foundation of the real economy has five characteristics: a productivity system centered on advanced manufacturing; Supply chain and infrastructure network; Technological innovation resources and human capital; Institutional environment and financial security; Domestic market demand and international circulation capability. Specifically, it refers to the technology intensive manufacturing backbone of high-end equipment, semiconductors, new energy, and independent and controllable intelligent manufacturing capabilities, as well as the basic industrial support formed by the green transformation of traditional industries such as steel and chemical industry; Localization layout of key raw materials and components, as well as a resilient supply chain; Hardware components such as high-speed rail, ports, and ultra-high voltage power grids form the logistics and energy network of the economic cycle; A research and development conversion system and skilled talent reserve for transforming laboratory technology into industrial applications; Clear and stable industrial policy guidance and financial service entities; The market size that provides domestic demand digestion space for physical industries and the export scale under regional trade agreements such as RCEP. The four paths to strengthen the foundation of the real economy "Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" emphasizes in a special paragraph the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries, the cultivation and growth of emerging and future industries, and the promotion of high-quality and efficient development of the service industry in consolidating and strengthening the foundation of the real economy. This provides a theoretical foundation for the practical path of consolidating and strengthening the foundation of the real economy. In the coming period, especially during the 15th Five Year Plan period, the practical path to consolidating and strengthening the foundation of the real economy should be to build a solid hardware foundation, activate software engines, improve ecological soil, and cultivate economic cells. Path 1: Build a solid hardware foundation for the real economy and solidify the foundation. We need to strengthen energy and raw material security, accelerate the layout of national energy reserve bases, promote the clean and efficient utilization of traditional energy such as coal and oil and gas, and accelerate the large-scale grid connection of renewable energy such as photovoltaics and wind power, forming a stable supply system of traditional energy backup and new energy increment; Establish a global supply chain warning mechanism for key raw materials such as chips, rare earths, and lithium mines, and solve the bottleneck problem through dual channels of overseas resource cooperation and domestic mining exploration and development. We should accelerate the upgrading of traditional manufacturing capacity, introduce industrial robots and digital twin systems in traditional industries such as steel, chemical, automotive, and energy, and practice machine to human replacement as needed; Promote the establishment of an industrial elimination list, gradually phasing out outdated production capacity with high energy consumption and low output, and guiding traditional industries to transform towards green, high-end, and intelligent industries. We should further optimize and improve the transportation and logistics network, promote the application of multimodal transport, achieve effective connection between railways, highways, and ports, build a number of warehousing and distribution centers in counties and rural areas, break through the "last mile" logistics breakpoint, and reduce the logistics costs of the whole society. Path 2: Activate the real economy software engine and stimulate growth momentum. We need to cultivate new industries, new entities, and new scenarios, focusing on industries such as biomedicine, new generation information technology, and new energy vehicles, to create several hundred billion level industrial clusters, cultivate strategic emerging industry clusters, establish national level industry guidance funds, and focus on investing in technology-based enterprises in the seed and start-up stages, guiding social capital to participate in the incubation of emerging industries. Implement the "Specialized, Refined, Unique and New" and "Little Giant" enterprise cultivation plans, support the professional development of small and medium-sized enterprises, promote policies such as R&D expense deduction and intellectual property protection green channels; Build a public service platform for small and medium-sized enterprises, providing various types of services such as patent application, talent training, advertising planning, financing docking, etc., to solve the growth problems of small and medium-sized enterprises. We should promote vocational colleges and enterprises to jointly establish training bases, offer majors such as chip manufacturing and industrial robot operation that meet the needs of the industry, and promote the integration of industry and education and talent supply; Implement the 'Craftsman Training Program', select national level technical experts, improve the salary and social status of technical workers, and provide millions of highly skilled talents for the real economy. Path three: Improve the ecological soil of the real economy and optimize the development environment. To create a fair, efficient, and predictable atmosphere for enterprise development, establish an efficient enterprise service mechanism, and achieve "instant response" to enterprise demands through online government platforms; Further clean up and standardize fees related to enterprises, cancel all unreasonable administrative fees, and effectively reduce the burden on enterprises. Guide banks to increase credit allocation to the manufacturing industry and small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthen the ability of financial services to serve the real economy, and ensure that the average growth rate of loans does not exceed the growth rate of manufacturing loans; Improve the multi-level capital market, support real economy enterprises to directly raise funds through IPO, bond issuance and other means, and increase the proportion of direct financing; Promote the supply chain finance model and provide pledge loans and order financing for enterprises in the supply chain around core enterprises. We should establish a punitive damages system for intellectual property infringement to significantly increase the cost of infringement; Establish and deploy a number of specialized institutions for intellectual property protection nationwide to ensure rapid pre examination, confirmation, and protection of enterprise intellectual property rights; We also need to strengthen overseas intellectual property rights protection assistance to help enterprises effectively respond to intellectual property disputes in international trade. Path 4: Cultivate and enhance the cells of the real economy, and strengthen the main body of enterprises. To support enterprises in integrating resources through mergers and acquisitions, capital operations, and other means, and to build industry chain supply chain "chain owners" with international competitiveness and industry leadership; Encourage leading enterprises and top enterprises to take the lead in building innovation consortia, increase innovation investment and output, enhance industrial chain security and supply chain resilience; Support small and medium-sized enterprises to promote the spirit of craftsmanship, take the path of specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and innovation, and form a phalanx of "single champion" and "little giant" enterprises. Encourage enterprises, universities, and research institutions to jointly build laboratories and technology centers, and promote the rapid implementation of laboratory research results into production line practice; Guide enterprises to use technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing for comprehensive transformation, reducing costs and improving efficiency; Promote leading enterprises to play a guiding role, lead the orderly and steady development of enterprises in the supply chain, and form a good ecology; Accelerate the concentration of state-owned enterprises and state-owned capital in key industries, sectors, and areas that are related to national economy, people's livelihood, national security, and the lifeline of the national economy, and enhance the core competitiveness of state-owned enterprises. Author: Li Jinhua (Researcher at the Institute of Quantitative Economics and Technical Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)