The attention paid by foreign media to China's innovation strength shows a reality that cannot be denied, that is, China is occupying an increasingly important position in the global science and technology landscape.
The cornerstone of China’s innovation power
The starting point of China's innovation is to place science and technology at the core of national development for a long time. This strategic positioning has been clear since the 1980s when "science and technology are the primary productive forces" and has been adhered to in the following decades. It is not a short-term policy, but a fundamental principle integrated into the national development plan.
This strategic persistence has produced specific institutional guarantees. Governments at all levels, from the central to the local governments, regard R&D investment and innovation indicators as important assessment content. According to statistics, China's R&D investment intensity has exceeded 2.5% for many years in a row, reaching the level of moderately developed countries. This continuous and stable supply of resources provides the most basic soil for innovation activities.
System support from market to talent
The large-scale and diverse domestic market has become a "testing ground" for China to launch unique innovations. No matter what kind of new technology or new product it is, it can find an extremely large number of users and application scenarios in China. Such an ability with rapid feedback characteristics and iterative characteristics is not possessed by many countries. Take mobile payment, e-commerce and other related fields as an example. The speed with which Chinese enterprises innovated was largely due to the huge scale of the domestic market and its acceptance of new things.
Enterprises become innovation entities
There is a key change, that is, enterprises have actually become the decision-making body and investment body of technological innovation. The R&D budgets of leading companies such as Huawei, BYD, and Tencent are already comparable to, or even exceed, the total investment in scientific research in some countries. They directly face market competition, are the most sensitive to technological needs, and can quickly transform scientific research results into actual products.
This model, with enterprises as the main body, is extremely effective in opening up the "last mile" from the laboratory to the market. The government relies on tax incentives, procurement support and other methods to provide guidance. However, the specific research and development direction and path are determined independently by enterprises based on market judgment. This mechanism reduces resource misallocation and improves innovation efficiency.
Open and collaborative innovation ecosystem
What is distinctively open is China's innovation path. From participating in the International Thermonuclear Fusion Experimental Reactor project to opening up the observation time of the "China Sky Eye" to the world, China has taken the initiative to turn large-scale scientific research facilities into international cooperation platforms. This openness not only attracts intellectual resources, but also embodies the concept of common development.
In cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum information, China has not only initiated many international cooperation initiatives, but also participated in the launch of many international cooperation initiatives. For example, the "Artificial Intelligence +" International Cooperation Initiative proposed by China is to promote the establishment of inclusive and universally beneficial technology governance rules. What these actions show is that Made in China is not pursuing technical barriers formed in a closed state, but is committed to building an innovation network that can share results.
Innovation drives industrial upgrading
What directly promotes profound changes in the industrial structure is the effect of scientific and technological innovation. In the fields of new energy, high-end equipment, bio-manufacturing and other fields, a group of globally competitive companies have emerged in China. They do not simply undertake international industrial transfers, but rely on independent research and development to achieve leadership in some links.
Such industrial upgrading has in turn stimulated higher-level technological demands. For example, the explosive growth of the electric vehicle industry has put forward new requirements for underlying technologies such as battery materials and smart driving chips, thus spawning a new round of R&D investment. Technology and industry have established a virtuous cycle of mutual promotion and iterative growth.
An innovative vision for the future
China's innovation goals have transcended the catch-up period. In the "15th Five-Year Plan" recommendations, strengthening the country's strategic scientific and technological capabilities and overcoming key core technological difficulties have become definite tasks. This shows that innovation will focus more on basic research and original breakthroughs in cutting-edge fields.
This long-term layout aimed at solving sustainable development issues, clean technologies needed to deal with climate change, and biological breeding technologies to ensure food security, among which innovation is regarded as the key to solving global challenges. China's practice shows that only by internalizing innovation as a deep driving force for economic development can we gain sustained growth potential.
After watching China's transformation from "world factory" to "innovation test ground", what do you think is the most critical step for a country to build a strong innovation system? Welcome to share your opinions in the comment area. If you find this article helpful, please like it and share it with more friends.
