Opening to innovation

Editor's Note: The following is an address by Li Keqiang, premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, at the 2014 annual meeting of the Global Research Council held in Beijing on May 27.

Friends from the international science community, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to attend the 2014 annual meeting of the Global Research Council in Beijing. Established in 2012, the council is a young international science organization but has strong vitality and unlimited future. The council held its first annual meeting in a developed country and is holding this year's meeting in a developing one. This shows its global vision and dedication to openness and cooperation. The theme of this meeting, "Open Access and Shaping the Future", meets practical needs and reflects future trends. Without open communication worldwide, science can hardly achieve any major breakthrough. Without a younger generation that outperforms its predecessors, science can hardly have a promising future. On behalf of the Chinese government, I wish to extend warm congratulations on the opening of the 2014 annual meeting and a sincere welcome to the guests coming from all over the world.

Scientists have nationalities, but science knows no national borders. The history of science is written by all mankind, and its future also needs to be shaped jointly by the international community. Scientific progress comes from freeing up the mind, and openness in science can boost creativity. Science is connected with the right to development, and knowledge is a public instrument. A more open platform will enable everyone to share in science knowledge, which will contribute to the realization of inclusive development that benefits all. In such an age of economic globalization and worldwide informatization, openness in science is not about giving in one direction, but about two-way exchanges and common development. Countries should adopt multiple means to promote the broader dissemination and sharing of science knowledge, so as to maximize the value of science and enhance the well-being of mankind. China pursues a win-win strategy of opening-up. We are advancing a new round of opening-up, expanding international cooperation in science and technology and encouraging the global flow of knowledge, technology and human resources. We support establishing a mechanism for open access to science knowledge funded by public finance to bolster the common development of scientific research in China and the world.