浙侨英频 ?Xi eyes shared growth by way of innovation

发布时间：2021-12-21

 

Nation seeks to help developing countries get greater benefits from expanding digital economy

The booming digital sector, rising number of patent applications and promising prospects of cutting-edge technologies in China have impressed international organizations' officials such as Liu Hua, director of the World Intellectual Property Organization's Office in China.

In recent years, she has witnessed the country's pursuit of innovation-driven growth and enhancement of the digital economy, both at home and abroad.

When it comes to innovation and intellectual property, China does not sit by waiting for a push from the outside world. What I have seen is the spontaneous actions of its authorities as well as in all walks of life — the private sector, academies and citizens — to unlock the impetus for future growth and to prevail in future development, Liu told China Daily in a recent interview.

Behind this momentum is the evolving Chinese philosophy on global innovation-driven growth, which has been outlined and promoted frequently by President Xi Jinping at key international conferences.

As one of the six main areas of the Global Development Initiative he proposed in September to advance common prosperity worldwide, Xi urged staying committed to innovation-driven development, and called upon countries to redouble efforts to harness technological achievements to boost productivity.

When elaborating on innovation-driven growth and the digital economy at the 28th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on Nov 12, Xi called on countries to further develop the digital infrastructure, speed up digital transformation, strive to bridge the digital divide and promote development of the digital economy in an all-around way.

Zuo Xiaodong, vice-president of the China Information Security Research Institute, said Beijing's proactive role in these areas was a response to a vast number of developing countries' strong desire to build digital economies. The digital economy is a major highlight of the current global economic landscape, and it has become the key engine for recovery at a time the global economy is frustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic and faced with sluggish growth, Zuo said.

As part of China's push for common prosperity in these areas, Xi announced on Nov 22 that China will provide 1,000 items of advanced and applicable technology to Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states. The president also announced China will support a program for 300 young scientists from ASEAN countries to come to China for exchanges over the next five years.

During another speech to African nations on Nov 29, Xi unveiled Beijing's plan to undertake 10 digital economy projects for the continent, expand Silk Road e-commerce cooperation and hold online shopping festivals featuring quality African products.

Alongside these Chinese offers of helping or working with other countries, the nation is also pursuing its own innovation-driven growth and successful digital economy.

According to the Global Innovation Index 2021, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization in September, China moved to 12th place and is the only middle-income economy in the top 30.

China's total spending on research and development last year ranked second in the world at 2.44 trillion yuan ($383.35 billion), which accounted for 2.4 percent of the country's annual GDP, Hu Zucai, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in March.

These achievements are the result of the ingenuity and hard work of the Chinese people and the Chinese government's vigorous efforts to advance the IPR strategy and innovation-driven development strategy, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Nov 9.

The digital technology has saved lives by enabling millions of people to work, study and socialize safely online. But the pandemic has also magnified the digital divide, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a video message on Dec 7 to the 16th Internet Governance Forum Internet United. He urged countries to strengthen collaboration by regaining control over data and by connecting everyone to the internet by 2030.

Liu Hua, director of the WIPO Office in China, said that worldwide the innovation-driven economy has shown strong resilience, however, the pandemic has widened the digital divide among regions.

Switzerland, followed by Sweden, the US and the UK keep their leading status while many other countries are lagging further behind... The remarkable disparity is illustrated by the fact that China is the only developing country among the top 15 on the Global Innovation Index, she said.

The term digital divide has also been a key phrase in Beijing's policy narratives. An often repeated phrase by President Xi on innovation and digital governance is to foster an open, fair, equitable and nondiscriminatory environment for the development of science and technology.

Speaking to the G20 Leaders' Summit in October, Xi asked the grouping to shoulder responsibilities in the digital era, further integrate digital technologies with the real economy and help developing countries eliminate the digital divide.

In terms of actions, China has decided to apply to join the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement with the aim to shore up international cooperation on the digital economy.

The country also put forward the Global Initiative on Data Security in September last year, a major proposal promoted by Xi at various global and regional events intended to help countries fend off risks regarding security, infrastructure and politics in cyberspace.

This initiative has won acclaim from a number of countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa, and support for it came from member states of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States after a ministerial-level meeting with China earlier this month.

Shen Yi, a professor and director of the Research Institution of Global Cyberspace Governance at Fudan University in Shanghai, said the initiative's popularity is based on the respect it shows for the ongoing technology revolution as well its effective response to the digital security concerns of developing countries and emerging economies.

The initiative challenges hegemony in digital sectors by promoting inclusive, win-win consultation, and serves to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace, Shen said. It is an open, inclusive proposal that enshrines fairness and justice, Shen said.

 

【背景阅读】

习近平：创新是引领世界发展的重要动力

 

国家主席习近平以视频方式出席亚太经合组织第二十八次领导人非正式会议。

习近平指出，创新是引领世界发展的重要动力。要坚持创新驱动大方向，点燃数字经济新引擎，让数字技术的成果惠及更多亚太地区人民。要加强数字基础设施建设，加快数字转型，努力弥合“数字鸿沟”，推动数字经济全面发展。中国提出促进数字时代互联互通倡议，支持加强数字经济国际合作，已申请加入《数字经济伙伴关系协定》。

习近平：以创新引领发展

习近平：人类社会应该向何处去？中方倡议，世界各国人民一道努力，回应时代呼唤，加强全球治理，以创新引领发展，朝着构建人类命运共同体的方向不断迈进。

这段话出自2021年10月1日习近平为阿联酋迪拜世博会中国馆作的视频致辞。

创新是引领发展的第一动力。在激烈的国际竞争中，抓创新就是抓发展，谋创新就是谋未来。真正的核心技术是买不来的。只有把核心技术掌握在自己手中，才能真正掌握竞争和发展的主动权。因此，我们要坚定不移走中国特色自主创新道路，增强自主创新能力，提高国际竞争力。

创新发展不仅是我国赢得未来的必然要求，也是解决全球发展问题、构建人类命运共同体的重要途径。近年来，全球经济治理体系进入调整期。寻求一条全人类共同和平发展之路，是世界各国都必须回答的问题。

面对新的挑战，构建人类命运共同体，为实现全人类的共同和平发展提供了良好方案。只有顺应和平发展、合作共赢的历史大趋势，以创新解决全球治理中的各种矛盾和问题，引领发展，朝着构建人类命运共同体方向不断迈进，我们才能共建一个持久和平、普遍安全、共同繁荣、开放包容、清洁美丽的世界。

 

来源 中央广播电视总台