China has outlined priority areas and measures for turning the world's second 
largest economy into a global innovation leader over the next 15 years, vowing 
to make major breakthroughs in key and core technologies. 

The country will pursue innovation-driven development and implement a number of 
strategic projects in the fields of artificial intelligence, quantum 
information, integrated circuits, life and health, brain science, breeding, 
aerospace science and technology, and deep Earth and ocean exploration, 
according to the full text of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central 
Committee's development proposals made public Tuesday. 

The document, the Party leadership's proposals for formulating the 14th 
Five-Year Plan (2021-2025, FYP) for National Economic and Social Development 
and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, was adopted at the fifth 
plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee which closed on October 29.

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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-11-04/China-unveils-blueprint-to-become-global-leader-in-innovation-V8ymvHioog/index.html).


Self-reliance in science and technology

In an explanatory speech on the proposals, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the 
CPC Central Committee, stressed that China should focus on promoting 
high-quality development during its 14th FYP period.

To this end, China vows to uphold the central role of innovation in its 
modernization drive and take self-reliance in science and technology as 
strategic underpinning for national development, according to the proposals. 

China will improve the national innovation system and speed up efforts to build 
the country into a scientific and technological powerhouse, the document said. 

"On the one hand, we will improve our capabilities in independent innovation 
because key and core technologies cannot be bought," Wang Zhigang, minister of 
science and technology, said at a press conference last Friday. 

"On the other hand, we also hope to learn more advanced experience from other 
countries while sharing with the world more scientific and technological 
achievements of China and contributing more 'Chinese wisdom' for tackling 
global challenges," Wang added. 

The document underscored the "dominant role" of enterprises in innovation, 
vowing to enhance their innovation capacity. 

China will promote the building of national laboratories, plan and develop 
national science centers and regional innovation centers, and support the 
formation of international science and technology innovation centers in 
Beijing, Shanghai, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the 
proposals said.

Strategic emerging industries and green development

The document also identified a number of "strategic emerging industries" and 
pledged to speed up the development of these industries, including 
new-generation information technology, biotechnology, new energy, new 
materials, high-end equipment, new energy vehicles, environmental protection, 
aerospace, and marine equipment. 

The proposals called for the deep integration of internet, big data and 
artificial intelligence with other industries, facilitating the cluster 
development of advanced manufacturing, building a series of strategic emerging 
industries as new growth drivers, and nurturing new technologies, new products, 
new business models and new business forms. 

Meanwhile, China will introduce a series of measures to facilitate the overall 
green transformation of economic and social development, said the document. 

China will reduce its carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon emissions per 
unit of GDP, and make an action plan to achieve the goal of having CO2 
emissions peak before 2030.

The pledge is part of China's efforts to promote green development and a global 
green revolution in the post-COVID era. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping in September said that the country aims to achieve 
carbon neutrality by 2060. 

"COVID-19 reminds us that humankind should launch a green revolution and move 
faster to create a green way of development and life," Xi said in an address 
delivered via video link to the General Debate of the 75th session of the 
United Nations General Assembly. 

He urged all countries to "take decisive steps" to honor the 2015 Paris 
Agreement on climate change and pledged that China will "have CO2 emissions 
peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060."

'Victory in sight' for achieving 'xiaokang' goal

China has attained "decisive achievements" in securing a victory in building a 
moderately prosperous (known as "xiaokang" in Chinese) society in all respects, 
according to the document, which said "a victory is in sight" for accomplishing 
the goal. 

In his explanatory speech, Xi said the CPC Central Committee will carry out 
systematic assessment and review of the building of a moderately prosperous 
society in all respects in the first half of 2021 before officially announcing 
the achievement of moderate prosperity throughout the society. 

It remains the Party's firm commitment to the people to comprehensively build a 
moderately prosperous society of a higher level for the benefit of more than 1 
billion people by the time the CPC marks its 100th founding anniversary next 
year, he stressed.

The proposals also elaborated on China's decision to establish a new 
development pattern where domestic and foreign markets can boost each other 
with the domestic market as the mainstay, while pledging to continue to enhance 
the level of opening-up. 

Support will be given to the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions 
in enhancing their competitive edges and integrating their own development into 
the overall development of the country, said the document.

Source: CGTN