Sci-tech innovation is leading China's modernization and the path forward is paved with technological and industrial breakthroughs.
China will build three international centers for sci-tech innovation and turn them into world-class innovation engines, according to a government work report submitted Thursday to the country's top legislature for deliberation.
The country will implement strategic deployment in fields such as AI, quantum tech, biotechnology and new energy, according to a draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), also submitted Thursday.
The Plan puts a premium on accelerating tech progress, cultivating new growth drivers, and enhancing the quality of development. The central challenge is bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and tangible, real-world applications.
The 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) saw China achieve a wave of scientific breakthroughs, making strides in next-gen IT, new energy, and other frontier technologies that fueled the rise of emerging industries.
In 2024, China's production and sales of new energy vehicles surpassed 12 million units, accounting for more than 60 percent of the global total. This dominance is built on a foundation of technological breakthroughs, industrial upgrading, and a relentless focus on quality.
At the Seres Super Factory, a symphony of over 3,000 robots works in perfect sync, with key processes fully automated. For quality checks, an AI inspection system scans the car's under body - checking if all 80 bolts are locked in tight - all within one second.
"This AI-powered inspection system ensures deterministic management. We can now guarantee the quality of every single vehicle with absolute precision and certainty," said Cao Nan, general manager of Seres Super Factory.
Seres is a prime example of a broader trend. Sustained R and D investment and a maturing innovation ecosystem are driving a qualitative leap across the Chinese manufacturing. The 2024 Global Innovation Index ranked China as a top innovator, home to the world's largest number of science and technology clusters, 24 in the top 100.
"Building world-class manufacturing chains requires deep, long-term collaboration between government, industry, universities, research institutes, and end-users. We must solidify the enterprise's central role in innovation, fostering joint labs and testing bases with universities to ensure that technological development is precisely aligned with market demand," said Yang Huayong, dean of Faculty of Engineering at Zhejiang University.
China's tech-driven development powering up future
