Sci-tech savvy

Belt and Road science and technology cooperation has made remarkable progress with great potential still to be tapped

The sci-tech cooperation between China and the Belt and Road countries and regions has been increasingly deepened, the cooperation fields have continuously expanded, and the cooperation platforms and projects have been promoted in an effective and pragmatic way.

By the end of 2021, China had established partnerships with more than 160 countries and regions in sci-tech fields, and signed 114 intergovernmental cooperation agreements. These collaborations cover key areas including medicine, agriculture, oceans, energy resources, public health, advanced manufacturing, high-end materials, and information technology. China is committed to promoting high-quality joint development of the sci-tech Belt and Road by strengthening common basic scientific research, and setting up joint research platforms, technology transfer and transformation centers, overseas science education hubs, and science and technology parks. These measures are also helping cultivate talents and drive win-win development. As the sci-tech cooperation between China and countries and regions participating in the BRI has continuously deepened, it has formed a multi-level, interactive and wide-ranging cooperation pattern.

Cooperation in basic science has continued to heat up. By analyzing those papers sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences that were jointly written by researchers from China and participating countries and regions from 2010 to 2021, it can be seen that the number of cooperative papers increased significantly after 2013, highlighting China's notable achievements in supporting Belt and Road sci-tech cooperation. The papers mainly focus on materials science, electronic circuits, chemical physics, applied physics, chemistry, nanoscience and environmental science. These basic scientific research achievements contribute considerably to the science, technology, and industrial development of the participating countries and regions.

Joint laboratories have also enhanced the technological innovation capabilities of countries and regions participating in the initiative. In 2017, China launched the Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan, focusing on cooperation with participating countries and regions in sci-tech and the humanities, joint laboratories, sci-tech parks and technology transfer. In order to meet the specific development needs of the participating countries and regions, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China approved the construction of 53 joint laboratories in line with the standards for National Key Laboratories in 2019,2020 and 2021, respectively. These joint laboratories, such as the China-Kenya Joint Laboratory for Crop Molecular Biology, the China-Austria Joint Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Manufacturing and the Chinese-Egyptian Renewable Energy Laboratory, covering multiple fields and they are the top platforms for China's sci-tech cooperation with foreign countries and regions. Through these joint laboratories, China has actively played a leading and radiation role in industry-academia-research integration and interaction, strengthened the sharing of its resources and complementary advantages, conducted exchanges and the training of sci-tech talents, and jointly tackled some of the major development challenges and problems faced by participating countries and regions, effectively enhancing their sci-tech innovation capabilities.

Technology transfer is of great significance in promoting the transformation and application of technological achievements among participating countries and regions. In 2016, the Ministry of Science and Technology launched a Belt and Road coordination network for technology transfer, which helps to enhance the sci-tech innovation capabilities of the participating countries and regions through the Science and Technology Partnership Plan, and drives the sustainable growth of the regional economy. Currently, more than 10 technology transfer centers have been supported by the ministry, playing a significant role in building a technology cooperation network and developing technologies. The Chinese Academy of Sciences has also established a global Belt and Road technology transfer and transformation center, and set up a long-term and stable innovation cluster and strategic alliance. Practice has proven that these centers have fully played a practical role in technology transfer and transformation between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and countries in Central Asia, and among the Arab countries, and have become a key platform for sci-tech achievement application.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has built a total of 10 science education centers in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia by leveraging its strengths in teaching, research, as well as education and strategy consulting. These centers integrate sci-tech research, professional training, information dissemination and the transformation of sci-tech fruits, providing solid support for the Belt and Road construction. At the same time, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has worked closely with various ministries and Chinese embassies abroad to innovate its foreign aid mode that teaches people to fish instead of giving them fish.

In recent years, sci-tech innovation and cooperation under the framework of the BRI have faced several challenges. First, the complex international security environment and geopolitical conflicts have impacted on regional economic development and cooperation between countries, increasing the uncertainty of cooperation. Second, in terms of international innovative talent cultivation, Chinese universities still face some challenges in curriculum design, faculty building, textbook development, and overseas and international student education. Moreover, since the sci-tech innovation and cooperation network between China and the participating countries and regions is still in its initial phase of development, it hasn't sustained a stable trend for development, and both the depth and breadth of cooperation need to be further improved.

To better support high-quality growth, Belt and Road sci-tech cooperation should focus on the following four key aspects.

First, common basic scientific research should be consolidated and the original innovation capabilities should be enhanced. By launching a fund for basic research, participating countries and regions could be supported in carrying out cooperation on basic research without aiming at any specific applications, which would help improve their innovation capabilities.

Second, efforts should be made to strengthen the research and development of advanced and applicable technologies and to promote the industrial transformation of participating countries and regions. Many Belt and Road partners are facing the challenges of the depletion of fossil fuels, a low-end industrial structure, severe energy consumption and high greenhouse gas emissions, and have an urgent need for industrial transformation. China should intensify its efforts to promote joint research and the transfer of advanced technologies, help enhance the industrial structure and development of these countries and regions, and form new innovation chains and industry chains.

Third, China should cooperate with participating countries and regions to establish a cooperation mechanism for low-carbon technological innovation, build international technology platforms, especially in the fields of renewable energy, hydrogen energy, and carbon dioxide capture and utilization.

Fourth, cooperation on agricultural technology should be consolidated. Spanning Asia, Europe and Africa, countries and regions participating in the BRI boast rich land resources and diversified agricultural products. Meanwhile, it is necessary to improve the institutional mechanisms for international sci-tech innovation and cooperation, establish dynamic collaboration mechanisms for global scientists, and encourage enterprises and international organizations to participate in sci-tech cooperation.

The author is a researcher at the strategic support department of the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn