A view of Hangzhou city’s central business district Photo: VCG

China's annual sessions of the top legislature and political advisory body,MK sport known as the "two sessions," are approaching, with technological innovation expected to be a central topic, especially with the recent wave of the groundbreaking innovations capturing global attention.

At the provincial level "two sessions," there has been a strong emphasis on accelerating industrial innovation. Discussions pivot to transforming and upgrading traditional industries, and at the same time laying a strong foundation for the emerging new industries.

For example, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region places AI as a key driver of its industrial transformation, stressing the need to keep up with the global trends. East China's Anhui Province has called for more resources to go to fostering new quality productive forces, and Central China's Hubei Province has proposed the set-up of a nationally known hub for technological innovation there.

Among the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities on the Chinese mainland, 29 have prioritized AI in their government work reports, and 14 have prioritized robotics. Beijing city, for instance, has highlighted the development of humanoid robots and 20 other emerging industries. South China's Guangdong Province has proposed expanding "robot + " applications in key industrial sectors.

Local governments have introduced a wide range of preferential policies and measures to support tech innovation, including investment, talent recruitment, tax incentive, and platform development. Not only do these policies provide strong backing for tech innovation, but they also establish a strong foundation for cultivating and developing new quality productive forces.

Wang Peng Photo: Courtesy of Wang Peng

 
In recent years, policy guidance has been instrumental in advancing technological research and development. The policies have set clear goals and provided the resources needed for progress.

China's advantages in the tech sector are becoming increasingly known, including a large talent pool and robust research system, a comprehensive industrial and supply chain structure, strong government emphasis on innovation, and significant market demand for new tech applications.

Now, China's tech innovation is gaining impressive momentum, with notable achievements in aerospace, high-speed rail, supercomputing, and AI. China has made strides in AI innovation lately, with advancements in algorithms, computing power and data, while a wide range of AI applications are being used in the country.

It is true that fostering a high-level innovation ecosystem is the key to developing new quality productive forces and driving industrial transformation and upgrading.

At the upcoming national "two sessions," further strengthening of technology-related policies is expected. Given the current global situation and considering China's development needs, crucial resources will be motivated to enhance core technology innovation and address the "bottleneck" issues, as the country focuses on developing strategic industries like AI, new energy, and new materials, as well as transforming traditional industries and driving them toward smarter and greener growth trajectory.

In 2025, tech innovation will continue to empower Chinese manufacturing sector, by improving production efficiency and product quality while cutting costs, ultimately boosting market competitiveness. Tech innovation will also foster new business models, more efficient ways of business operation, which will benefit the national economy.

For businesses, it is essential to seize the current policy advantages while focusing on intellectual property protection and market expansion to build internationally competitive brands. The rise of companies like DeepSeek, part of Hangzhou's "six little dragons," offers valuable experiences.

China now ranks 11th in the Global Innovation Index, with total R&D expenditure now ranking the second in the world. Currently, the country has 463,000 high-tech enterprises, with 169,000 in the industrial sector. Also, more than 140,000 specialized and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises have emerged. They epitomize China's steadfast progress in science and technology, and will continue to fuel global innovation and economic growth.