Innovation set to boost strength in key sectors

China's commitment to pursuing integrated advancements in technological and industrial innovation will help the country gain a competitive advantage in strategic emerging sectors and industries of the future, and lay a solid foundation for the long-term growth of its economy amid external uncertainties, said national lawmakers and political advisers.

Highlighting that sci-tech innovation serves as the core element in developing new quality productive forces, they called for heightened efforts to step up research and development investment in core technologies in key fields, as well as reinforce the principal position of enterprises in bolstering independent innovation, in order to facilitate a shift from old growth drivers to new ones.

The country has sent a clear signal that it is dedicated to implementing the innovation-driven development strategy, bolstering deeper integration of cutting-edge digital technologies and the real economy, and accelerating the establishment of a modernized industrial system, they added.

Their comments follow President Xi Jinping's remark that technological innovation and industrial innovation constitute the fundamental pathways for developing new quality productive forces. To advance technological innovation, it is essential to modernize the industrial system and coordinate education, science and technology, and talent cultivation, he said.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when participating in a deliberation on March 5 with his fellow deputies from Jiangsu province during the third session of the 14th National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

Deng Zhonghan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that technological innovation and industrial innovation complement each other and resonate at the same frequency.

Their integrated advancements are crucial for promoting social and economic development and cultivating fresh driving forces, said Deng, who is also a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body.

"The key to developing new quality productive forces lies in achieving high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, strengthening original and disruptive innovations, and giving birth to new industries and new growth momentum," he said, calling for more efforts to increase R&D input in emerging industries and future-oriented industries.

Citing that China is now in a critical period of innovation-driven development path, Deng said it is important to support growth of tech startups through financial technology tools to achieve deeper integration and seamless alignment of the industrial and innovation chains.

Pan Jiaofeng, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institutes of Science and Development, said that the cultivation of new quality productive forces is an important focus of promoting high-quality economic growth and it plays a pivotal role in speeding up the building of a modern industrial system.

Pan, who is also a deputy to the 14th NPC, added that through technological and industrial innovation, the country could seize the historical opportunities from a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, drive the upgrading of traditional industries, and gain an upper hand in the increasingly fierce international competition.

This year's Government Work Report stated that China will promote emerging industries, such as commercial spaceflights and the low-altitude economy, and cultivate industries of the future including biomanufacturing, quantum technology, embodied artificial intelligence and 6G technology.

Nan Cunhui, another national political adviser, said that in the face of a new wave of technological innovation, accelerated efforts should be made to achieve breakthroughs in disruptive, pioneering and state-of-the-art technologies, to vigorously advance new industrialization, and to propel the intelligent, digitalized and green transformation of industries.

Nan, who is also chairman of Chint Group, a leading Chinese smart energy solutions provider, said that looking ahead, his company will bolster the industrial application of AI, internet of things and big data technologies, while increasing R&D input in strategic emerging sectors.

As fast-developing AI technology is integrating into every facet of industrial development and people's lives, the country has recognized AI as essential for fostering new quality productive forces and building up the momentum for new growth drivers.

Zhang Yunquan, a researcher at CAS' Institute of Computing Technology, said the rapid development of AI necessitates higher requirements for computing power, while more emphasis should be placed on encouraging the R&D of domestically made chips, improving their performance and reducing the inference costs in the deployment of AI models.

Noting that computing power has become a key strategic resource in global competition, Zhang, who is also a national political adviser, suggested accelerating the construction of high-end intelligent computing centers, supporting leading enterprises to build open-source large language models, opening up more application scenarios, and strengthening the training of AI talent.

Zhong Zheng, another national lawmaker and vice-president of home appliance maker Midea Group, said the company will continue to ramp up R&D investment, bolster the research of fundamental, cutting-edge and advanced technologies, and promote the green and intelligent transformation of the manufacturing sector by leveraging AI.