By Hou Lihong

In today's world, only the reformers and innovators will emerge stronger and prosper. Bearing that in mind, China has been actively implementing the innovation-driven development strategy, transforming and upgrading traditional drivers of growth, and speeding up the upgrading of economic transformation. China, an ancient oriental civilization, is picking up speed in its pursuit of innovation.

Innovation-driven development strategy has become a priority in China's national development strategy. During the National Science, Technology and Innovation Conference convened last year, the Chinese government has initially completed top-level design of the National Strategy on Innovation-driven Development. Through the Outline of the National Strategy on Innovation-driven Development, and the 13th Five-Year Science and Technology Innovation Plan, the Chinese government has formed a comprehensive strategic blueprint on the future S&T innovation, and identified the strategic goal of making China a country driven by innovation.

China is committed to the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics, and adopts an open and inclusive approach to innovative development. In recent years, we have made active efforts to promoting innovation across the board, including making institutional reforms to stimulate innovation and creativity, putting in place highly efficient innovation systems, and comprehensively pushing for the shift of growth dynamism in economic and social development. We aim to achieve through these efforts a new path of development driven by strong talents, advanced technologies, and competitive industries. As China hosted the 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit, "Transformation of the Economic Growth Mode" was for the first time listed as a priority for the G20. During the Summit, President Xi Jinping proposed the idea of innovation-driven world economic growth, bringing to the world China's understanding and approach to innovation and development.

Major breakthroughs in science and technology marks significant progress in China's innovation capacity. In recent years, China has made tremendous progress in basic cutting-edge research, strategic high-tech research and development, and major S&T infrastructure development. In addition, major breakthroughs have been achieved in the fields of aerospace, deep sea and deep earth detection, super computing, quantum science, high-energy physics, brain science, stem cells and many other areas. In 2016, the Shenzhou XI manned spacecraft successfully docked with Tiangong II space lab and Chinese astronauts completed a 30-day stay in the outer space.

China has launched the world's first quantum science experimental satellite "Mozi" and China's first dioxide monitoring satellite. Supercomputer "Sunway Taihu Light" powered by a Chinese-made chip held the world's fastest record. The world's largest single aperture spherical telescope (500 meters) has been launched into operation. For the first time, Chinese scientists achieved accurate positioning of high-resolution whole brain connection map. Also for the first time, Chinese scientists constructed the mouse-rat heterozygous diploid embryonic stem cells. This year, China ranks the 22nd on the Global Innovation Index, a significant step up from the 34th place in 2012. China today boasts a total population of over 80 million S&T scientists and experts. In 2015, Chinese scientists published 296,800 papers in SCI, accounting for 16.3% of the world's total, and China ranks the 3rd in the world in terms of the number of international papers and hot papers.

The translation of innovation achievements into practical results has contributed to economic and social development. In 2015, China's total R&D expenditure accounted for 2.06% of GDP, and the total R&D expenditure ranked the 2nd in the world. S&T progress contributed 56.2% to economic growth. The Chinese government has implemented a series of national S&T programs to upgrade traditional industries and promote strategic emerging industries. In 2016, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in China ranked top of the world at 517,000 and 507,000 units respectively. China's first self-made large passenger aircraft C919 has completed its delivery and flight-testing. The Polar code led by China was adopted by the International Mobile Communications Standardization Organization 3GPP as the 5G enhanced mobile broadband control channel standards. China has successfully developed Zika virus diagnostic reagents and Ai Bo Weitai, an anti-AIDS drug for long-term injection. China's first surgical robot for full spine surgery has received its medical device certificate and has completed over 2,000 clinical surgery.

Key technologies on grain yield, crop breeding, chemical fertilizers and pesticides have achieved new breakthroughs, and demonstration agricultural fields have been expanded to 25 million hectares, contributing to an increase of 10.52 million tons of grain output. Large numbers of S&T experts have been sent to work in poverty-stricken areas to help poverty reduction efforts. Today, China has the world's largest network of high-speed rails with a total track length of over 20,000 kilometers. There are over 750 million Internet users and over 500 million mobile payment users in China. High-speed rail, mobile payment, bike sharing and online shopping, known as China's "four new great inventions", are bringing transformative changes to the Chinese society.

Favorable government policy environment helped inject strong vigor of innovation across the Chinese society. Guided by the strategy of "mass entrepreneurship and innovation by all", the Chinese government has taken active steps to encourage enterprises, universities, research institutes to develop coworking spaces. There are now over 4,200 such coworking spaces across China. Together with 3,000 technology business incubators and over 400 accelerators, they form a business incubator service chain, serving over 400,000 businesses, fostering nearly 1,000 listed companies, and creating 1.8 million job opportunities. The coworking spaces also integrate investment promotion with incubation, and have assisted 15,000 service teams and enterprises to obtain investment of 53.96 billion yuan. As S&T and finance integrate more closely with each other, the National Fund for Guiding the Transformation of S&T Achievements set up 9 sub-funds for venture capital totaling 17.3 billion yuan. Increasingly, China is moving vigorously towards an even more favorable environment for S&T innovation.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting the rights and interests of knowledge creators, and to that end, has implemented "Several Opinions on Implementing the Allocation Policies to Increase the Value of Knowledge". In addition, the government has made active efforts to integrating central financial S&T program resources, covering nearly 100 S&T projects. In order to promote the transfer of S&T achievements into marketable products, the government has taken a three-pronged approach of amending relevant laws, formulating supporting policies, and introducing targeted supportive measures. In particular, a universal preferential policy has been introduced to benefit and incentivize high-tech firms. In 2015, high-tech enterprise benefited 115 billion yuan in waived income taxes, and 76 billion yuan tax relief for R&D expenses. These strong measures have effectively helped foster a business-led and market-oriented technology innovation system.

China is committed to deepening opening up and cooperation so as to create new space for innovation. Domestically, in recent years, the Chinese government has introduced active measures to improve cross-regional collaborative innovation mechanism, a good example of which is the proposed Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei collaborative innovation community in the making, as well as the upgrade of the Yangtze River Economic Zone. The government has launched S&T Innovation Centers in Beijing and Shanghai, and has altogether set up 17 state independent innovation demonstration areas nationwide. In 2016, operating income of 146 state high-tech zones reached 28 trillion yuan, registering an increase of 11.5% from the previous year.

At the international level, China has stepped up opening up and cooperation in S&T development, and has launched "Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan", and "BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan 2017-2020". China has continued its implementation of S&T partner programs with Africa, ASEAN, South Asia and other international partners, and has taken an active part in cooperation programs on the square kilometers Array Radio Telescope (SKA), International Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor (ITER), Earth Observation Organization (GEO), and others. Over the past nearly two decades, China and South Africa have conducted joint research programs, carried out young scientists exchange programs, jointly developed Science Park and Joint Research Center, and have made tremendous progress in S&T cooperation.

Through years of earnest efforts, China has learned its lessons and has in the process developed a comprehensive approach to innovation supported by new development concepts, institutional arrangements, educational and training policies, as well as favorable S&T and industrial policies. At this new historical starting point, China will continue to forge ahead with its innovation strategy. As we move forward, we will always put innovation into the larger picture of China's national conditions as well as the global development environment, and we will make constant efforts to ensure that S&T innovation will play an increasingly important role in promoting economic development and social harmony, making greater contribution to the improvement of people's livelihood in China, Africa and beyond.