Promote industrial innovation with scientific and technological innovation

Source: Economic Daily

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that the development of new quality productivity is an inherent requirement and an important focus to promote high-quality development, and we must continue to do a good job in innovation to accelerate the development of new quality productivity. The Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of 2023 proposed to promote industrial innovation through scientific and technological innovation, especially to promote new industries, new models and new kinetic energy with disruptive technologies and cutting-edge technologies, and develop new quality productivity. In this issue, invited experts will discuss related issues.

Strengthen the layout of the industrial chain and give full play to the overall effect

Wei Jigang

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to lay out the industrial chain around the development of new quality productivity, improve the resilience and safety of the industrial chain and supply chain, and ensure that the industrial system is independent, controllable, safe and reliable. At present, the restructuring of the global value chain is accelerating, which has a certain impact on the smooth circulation of the industrial and supply chains in the mainland, and improving the resilience and security of the industrial and supply chains is an important guarantee for strengthening the national economic security.

The "14th Five-Year Plan" and the outline of the long-term goals through 2035 put forward, focusing on seizing opportunities for future industrial development, cultivating leading and pillar industries, and promoting the integrated, clustered and ecological development of strategic emerging industries, with the added value of strategic emerging industries accounting for more than 17% of GDP. In August 2023, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other four departments issued the "Implementation Plan for the New Industry Standardization Pilot Project (2023-2035)" to promote the continuous improvement of the construction of the standard system for emerging industries and the forward-looking layout of future industrial standard research. In January this year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other 7 departments issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Innovation and Development of Future Industries", which made it clear that by 2025, a future industrial development model in line with the actual situation of the mainland will be initially formed; By 2027, a long-term mechanism for sustainable development will be formed, and it will become an important source of future industries in the world.

According to the data of the State Information Center, more than 20 provinces and cities across the country are promoting future industries around frontier fields. Taking the domestic commercial aerospace field as an example, the average annual growth rate has remained above 20% in recent years, and the commercial aerospace market is expected to reach 2.34 trillion yuan this year. It should also be noted that the mainland's industrial innovation capability is still not strong, the investment in basic research is insufficient, and the industrial spatial layout needs to be optimized. Focusing on the development of new quality productivity to lay out the industrial chain, it is necessary to promote industrial innovation with scientific and technological innovation, promote the deep integration of the innovation chain and the industrial chain, and cultivate new momentum for high-quality development with high-level scientific and technological innovation.

The first is to accelerate the improvement of the new national system and improve the overall efficiency of the national innovation system. Give full play to the advantages of the mainland's system, respect the laws of science, economy and market, and create a good innovation ecology. Improve the institutional guarantee to support basic research, guide multiple subjects and resources to gather in the field of basic research, and continuously stimulate the vitality of innovation. Strengthen the main position of enterprise technological innovation and build a dynamic enterprise innovation ecology. Carry out innovation in management systems and mechanisms by category, and effectively allocate scientific and technological innovation resources. Give full play to the role of the government, universities, scientific research institutions and enterprises, mobilize the enthusiasm of the majority of scientific research personnel, and promote the optimal allocation of research forces and resource sharing.

The second is to vigorously develop the digital economy and promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy. Relying on digital and intelligent technology, we will carry out all-round and full-chain transformation of traditional industries, and accelerate the coordinated development of traditional industries and emerging industries. Cultivate a number of leading, pillar, and internationally competitive strategic emerging industrial clusters. Promote new breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, big data and other technologies, and improve the high-end, intelligent and green level of the industry. Give full play to the amplification, superposition and multiplication role of digital technology on the real economy, improve total factor productivity, and stimulate new momentum of the real economy.

The third is to promote digital and intelligent transformation and promote efficient coordination of industrial and supply chains. Build a unified data platform to ensure data accuracy and timeliness through standardized and digitized information collection and processing processes, and support data-driven intelligent decision-making. Strengthen information exchange and resource sharing between the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain and supply chain, use cloud platforms and big data and other technologies to create an open and collaborative ecosystem, promote efficient cooperation within the industrial chain and supply chain, and flexibly respond to market changes. Integrate and apply digital and intelligent technologies such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence to build an intelligent industrial chain and supply chain and improve collaborative efficiency.

Fourth, the industrial chain should be laid out according to local conditions to form an overall effect conducive to the development of new productive forces. Break the regional segmentation, focus on promoting the formation of a world-class, national and provincial industrial clusters in various places reasonable distribution, dislocation development as an important feature of industrial layout, and coupling into the industrial chain and supply chain that give full play to the advantages of each region, to provide all-round industrial support for the development of new quality productivity.

Fifth, deepen the reform of systems and mechanisms, and strive to break through the blockages that restrict the development of new quality productive forces. The relations of production must be commensurate with the requirements of the development of the productive forces. To develop new quality productive forces, it is necessary to further deepen reform in an all-round way and form a new type of production relationship that is compatible with it. Deepen the reform of the economic system and the scientific and technological system, establish a high-standard market system, innovate the allocation of production factors, and let all kinds of advanced and high-quality production factors flow smoothly to the development of new quality productive forces.

(The author is a deputy director and researcher at the China Center for International Knowledge on Development)

New quality productivity is itself green productivity

Cong Xiaonan

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that green development is the background color of high-quality development, and new quality productivity itself is green productivity. This important assertion clarifies the intrinsic link between new quality productivity and green productivity.

Green is an intrinsic requirement for cultivating new quality productivity. The mainland economy has shifted from a stage of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development, and the extension development model that relies solely on factor-driven and scale expansion is no longer sustainable. To this end, it is necessary to promote high-quality development with green development as the background and cultivate new qualitative productivity with green power.

Green is an intrinsic attribute of new quality productivity. To cultivate and develop new quality productivity, it is necessary to promote the green transformation of economic development mode, rely on the green engine to improve the quality and efficiency of economic development, and promote the unity of economic, social and ecological benefits.

The new quality productivity itself is a green productive force, which not only follows the law of the development of the productive forces, but also conforms to the laws of nature, and is in line with the scientific assertions put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping, such as "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", "protecting the ecological environment is protecting the productive forces, and improving the ecological environment is the development of productive forces" and "ecology is resources, and ecology is productivity".

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, remarkable results have been achieved in the construction of ecological civilization in mainland China, and the new quality productivity rich in green connotation has played an important role in promoting and supporting high-quality development in practice.

First, the pace of clean energy transformation is accelerating. As of the end of the first quarter of this year, the country's installed renewable energy capacity reached 1.585 billion kilowatts, accounting for about 52.9% of the mainland's total installed capacity, while the proportion of fossil energy consumption has been declining. From 2012 to 2023, the continent is one of the countries with the fastest decline in energy intensity in the world, with an average annual energy consumption growth rate of 3% supporting an average annual economic growth of more than 6%, energy consumption per unit of GDP falling by 26.8%, and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP falling by more than 35%.

Second, the ecological transformation of the industry continues to advance. The level of green manufacturing in various industries and regions has been continuously improved, and the emission intensity of carbon dioxide and major pollutants in key industries has continued to decline. In terms of green manufacturing, the mainland has cultivated a total of 5,095 national green factories, 371 green industrial parks, 605 green supply chain management enterprises, and more than 500 specialized green manufacturing service organizations.

Third, the road to the development of ecological industrialization is getting wider and wider. Establish a mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products with extensive participation of multiple subjects, market-oriented operation and sustainable development, and continue to explore the channel for transforming "lucid waters and lush mountains" into "gold and silver mountains". Typical cases such as comprehensive land consolidation in Anji, Zhejiang Province to promote the realization of the value of ecological products, and ecological restoration and ecological product development in Dongying, Shandong Province have emerged one after another, accumulating valuable experience.

Fourth, the strength of strategic emerging industries such as clean energy and new energy vehicles has been significantly improved. China has built the world's largest and most competitive clean energy industry chain, ranking first in the world in terms of PV module output for 16 consecutive years, accounting for more than 80% of the world's production capacity of polysilicon, silicon wafers, cells and modules. The manufacturing capacity of wind turbines accounts for about 60% of the world's total, and 6 of the world's top 10 wind turbine companies are from China; The production and sales of new energy vehicles have ranked first in the world for nine consecutive years.

At present, the green wave is sweeping the world, and green and low-carbon technology innovation and industrial development have become the focus of competition among countries. In the future, it is necessary to accelerate the cultivation and development of new quality productivity with green as the support.

First, vigorously promote green and low-carbon technology innovation. Focusing on the "dual carbon" goal and ecological and environmental issues, we will accelerate the construction of a green and low-carbon technology innovation system, focusing on the research and development of technologies such as large-scale energy storage, distributed energy system integration, new generation photovoltaics, new power networks, new pollutant treatment, and high efficiency, energy conservation and consumption reduction.

Second, we will continue to promote the development of green, low-carbon and circular industries. Promote the application of advanced green technologies and build a green, low-carbon and circular industrial system. Promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries to high-end, intelligent and green, increase support for green technological transformation and equipment upgrading, promote synergy in pollution reduction and carbon reduction, and enhance the green efficiency and competitiveness of industries. Cultivate and expand green emerging industries, consolidate and enhance the competitive advantages of lithium batteries, photovoltaics, new energy vehicles and other fields, continue to promote the iterative upgrading of technologies and products, and build a world-class green advanced manufacturing cluster. We will look forward to the future industries in the field of green and low-carbon, vigorously promote the transformation and commercial development of achievements, and open up new areas to support the long-term sustainable growth of the mainland economy.

Third, we should give full play to the advantages of green technology and industry. Closely integrate the development of green productivity with the construction of global ecological civilization, and provide Chinese products, Chinese technologies and Chinese solutions to promote the global green and low-carbon transformation. Accelerate the construction of a new global green and low-carbon transformation and win-win model, and orderly promote industrial chain cooperation in wind power, smart energy, energy storage and other fields.

Fourth, strengthen the institutional and institutional safeguards for green development. Deepen the reform of the economic, scientific, technological, educational, and human resources systems. Establish a high-standard market system that supports the comprehensive green transformation of the development mode, innovate the mechanism for the development and utilization of ecological resources and the realization of the value of ecological products, improve national standards and industry standards in the field of green and low-carbon, accelerate the reform of the talent training system and model, give full play to the leading role of green finance, and empower the development of green productivity in an all-round way.

(The author is deputy director of the Research Office of Resources and Environmental Economics, Institute of Ecological Civilization, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

Smooth the virtuous circle of education and technology talents

Wang Chengren

High-quality development and the construction of a modern power need to focus on cultivating and developing new quality productive forces. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that in accordance with the requirements of the development of new quality productive forces, the virtuous circle of education, science and technology, and talents should be smoothed, and the working mechanism of talent training, introduction, use, and reasonable flow should be improved. To smooth the virtuous circle of education, science and technology, and talents, it is necessary to consolidate the foundation of education, enhance the strength of science and technology, and strengthen the support of talents as the core tasks, coordinate resources, form a joint force, accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance, lead the construction of a modern industrial system, and consolidate the material and technological foundation for building a modern socialist country in an all-round way.

Education is the foundation and soil of scientific and technological innovation, science and technology is the key to embodying the value of talents and transmitting the results of education to all aspects and links of national economic and social development, talents are the driving force for promoting the continuous progress of science and technology, and education is the goal of education. To smooth the virtuous circle of education, science and technology, and talents, we must grasp the main line of talents, give full play to the basic and supporting role of education, and integrate educational achievements and talent values into economic development and social progress in the process of scientific and technological innovation leading industrial development, and then reverse the education and talent work with the needs of economic and social development.

The first is to give priority to the development of education and cultivate multi-echelon talents in close combination with the needs of the country. Accelerate the construction of a high-quality education system, attach importance to enlightenment education to enlighten young people's dreams of science and technology, rely on compulsory education to cultivate talents' scientific and technological aspirations, and rely on higher education to consolidate the foundation of scientific and technological talents. We will work together to promote mass education, vocational education, and elite education, adapt to the needs of talents in different industries, technologies, and fields, and cultivate high-quality engineering and technical talents and high-tech talents. Aiming at major scientific fields, we will build universities with international competitiveness and influence, cultivate high-level talents with international standards, improve the level of basic scientific research, and enhance the ability to innovate at the source.

The second is to give full play to the leading role of science and technology, enhance the support of education for basic research, and cultivate scientific research talents urgently needed by the country. Deeply excavate the basic theoretical needs of key core technology research, guide universities and institutes to strengthen basic research, and establish a talent training system from theory to practice. Enhance the stickiness between education and science and technology, build a number of high-level university science and technology parks based on high-quality scientific research achievements, with the entrepreneurial activities of teachers and students in colleges and universities as the source, and small and sophisticated enterprises as the main body. Build a platform for technology transfer and transformation of colleges and universities, optimize the benefit distribution mechanism between teachers and students, colleges and universities, and enterprises, gather resources such as venture capital, technology and intermediary services, accelerate the transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and cultivate and expand the team of scientific and technological talents in practice.

The third is to create a good ecology suitable for the growth of talents, and consolidate the foundation of education and science and technology. Efforts should be made to reverse the tendency of only papers, hats, professional titles, academic qualifications, and awards in educational evaluation, improve the working mechanism for personnel training, introduction, use, and mobility, and create a good environment for teachers and students in colleges and universities to be free and open, and concentrate on research. Fully affirm the important position of researchers in innovation activities, strengthen the distribution orientation that reflects the value of intellectual labor, so that scientific and technological personnel can get reasonable returns in innovation activities, and better reflect the market value of knowledge, technology and talents. Create a good atmosphere that encourages innovation and tolerates failure.

Fourth, focus on industry and market demand, and give full play to the role of educational technology talents in promoting high-quality development. Based on the virtuous cycle of education, science and technology, and talents, R&D and the improvement of original innovation capabilities will provide support for the promotion of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. In-depth excavation of industry and market demand, guide upstream basic research and application technology research and development, promote the efficient flow of talent elements, and effectively achieve the docking of supply and demand, and the integration of production, education, research and application. Strengthen the consulting role of enterprises in major national scientific and technological tasks and important basic research, support enterprises to be both "questioners" and deeply participate in the process of "answering questions", improve the applicability and transformation efficiency of scientific and technological innovation achievements, and achieve effective educational development, scientific and technological innovation goals, talent training direction, and industrial development confidence.

Smooth the virtuous circle of education, science and technology, and talents, fully mobilize and stimulate people's enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity, strengthen the cultivation of high-quality talents, and constantly transform talent advantages into innovation and development advantages, so as to accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance. In the future, it is necessary to continue to play a leading role in scientific and technological innovation, lead the construction of a modern industrial system with high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance, smooth the complete chain from scientific and technological innovation to the improvement of industrial basic capabilities and then to the modernization of the industrial chain, promote the virtuous cycle of science and technology, industry and finance, promote the application of scientific and technological innovation achievements to specific industries and industrial chains, transform and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and expand emerging industries, and lay out and build future industries. Promote the formation of more new quality productive forces, provide effective support for high-quality development, and inject strong impetus into Chinese-style modernization.

(The author is an associate researcher at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges)

Optimize the open innovation ecosystem and enhance global competitiveness

Wang Ying

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that "it is necessary to expand high-level opening up to the outside world and create a good international environment for the development of new quality productive forces". The fifth meeting of the Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reform held recently pointed out that to build an open environment for scientific and technological innovation with global competitiveness, it is necessary to adhere to the combination of "going out" and "bringing in", expand international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, strive to build a win-win partnership, and plan forward-looking and deeply participate in global scientific and technological governance.

The practice of reform and opening up over the past 40 years and more has shown that opening up to the outside world is an important driving force for promoting the mainland's economic and social development, and promoting reform and development through opening up is an important magic weapon for the mainland to continuously make new achievements in its modernization drive. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized that relying on the advantages of the mainland's super-large-scale market, it is necessary to attract global resource elements with domestic circulation, enhance the linkage effect of domestic and international markets and resources, and improve the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation. In recent years, the mainland has actively participated in the reform and construction of the global governance system, continuously promoted the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, further integrated into the global division of labor system, and better coordinated domestic and international markets and resources. We will continue to promote the optimization and upgrading of the economic structure, realize the transformation of old and new kinetic energy, and climb to the middle and high end of the global value chain; An open innovation ecosystem with global competitiveness has been initially formed.

Today's world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, and instability and uncertainties are increasing. The mainland insists on expanding international exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including basic research, with a more open mind and measures, attracting international innovation resources, jointly developing new industrial technologies, and creating an open innovation ecosystem with global competitiveness. At present, the mainland has signed 22 free trade agreements with 29 countries and regions, and has strengthened cooperation with trading partners in the fields of trade in goods, trade in services, investment, intellectual property rights, digital trade and environmental protection. At the same time, China has signed more than 100 bilateral investment treaties, reasonably reduced the negative list for foreign investment access, continued to expand outbound investment and attracted high-quality foreign capital inflows. Through the pilot free trade zone (port) system, we will better attract global innovation achievements and high-quality projects to land, and use regional spillover effects to promote the development of new quality productivity. Taking Hainan as an example, in 2018, the CPC Central Committee decided to support the construction of a pilot free trade zone on the whole island of Hainan, and in 2020, the "Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port" was released, proposing to vigorously develop high-tech industries such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and digital trade. Hainan high-tech enterprises have maintained an average annual growth rate of more than 40% for many years.

At the same time, it should also be noted that the cultivation and development of new quality productive forces still faces certain risks and challenges. A few developed countries have implemented a blockade policy of "small courtyards and high walls" in the mainland's high-tech fields, and have adopted the tactics of "decoupling," "breaking chains," and export controls to curb the mainland's scientific and technological development. In the future, the mainland still needs to unswervingly promote high-level opening-up and continue to create a good international environment for the development of new quality productive forces.

First, adhere to the combination of "going out" and "bringing in". Accelerate the construction of a trade power, deepen international cooperation in the foreign trade supply chain, improve the level of trade facilitation, cultivate new momentum for foreign trade, and promote the development of new business formats. It is necessary not only to promote the import of high-quality intermediate goods with the strategy of import diversification, but also to promote the export of advanced manufacturing products and enterprises to go overseas.

Second, expand international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation. In line with the global trend of scientific and technological innovation development, we will strive to build a win-win partnership, and make forward-looking plans and deeply participate in global scientific and technological governance. Promote reform, innovation and development through opening-up, continuously improve the scientific and technological security system and risk prevention mechanism, make up for the shortcomings of the open innovation system, and improve the ability to make overall use of domestic and foreign innovation resource elements. We will build an open environment for scientific and technological innovation with global competitiveness, enhance the mainland's attractiveness to global innovation resource elements, and win new advantages in future scientific and technological competition.

Third, we need to steadily expand institutional opening-up. Enhance the ability to control high-level opening-up, steadily expand institutional opening-up such as rules, regulations, management and standards, enhance the right to speak in the international cycle, actively participate in the formulation of international economic and trade rules, promote the process of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, actively participate in the reform of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, and put forward China's solutions and contribute China's wisdom to global economic and trade governance.

(The author is executive vice president and researcher of the National Institute of Opening-up, University of International Business and Economics)