From the full implementation of the innovation-led development strategy to the proposal to develop new, high-quality productive forces, China has consistently placed innovation at the forefront of its overall national development strategy. Innovation has not only provided a solid foundation and inexhaustible driving force for China’s economic development but has also injected new impetus into global development.
Here, we see that the innovation-led development strategy, proposed at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, has propelled China into the ranks of the world’s innovators and has achieved success on various fronts in recent years. During the “Two Sessions” in 2025, President “Xi Jinping” emphasized the need to accelerate the implementation of the innovation-led development strategy, stating that “accelerating efforts to achieve greater self-reliance and strengthen capabilities in science and technology is the path China must take to drive high-quality development.” Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to make greater efforts to ensure better allocation of resources related to innovation, to make the country a global leader in key science and technology fields as well as other advanced multidisciplinary areas, and to ensure that China becomes a major global center for science and innovation as soon as possible. To enhance its strength in science and technology, China committed to sharing its technology with partners worldwide and cooperating to improve global science and technology governance.
China’s policy has successfully stimulated Chinese innovation globally, especially in developing countries of the Global South, through multilateral mechanisms such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. These initiatives have successfully provided the world with new options for China’s science and technology achievements in fields such as 5G communications, biomedicine, and many others, while also providing impetus for China’s global growth. China has dedicated its efforts to promoting global science and technology governance. Beijing has also succeeded in strengthening its cooperation with other developing countries in the fields of education, scientific research, and technology transfer, which has helped create a new international community based on cooperation, mutual benefit, and win-win outcomes.
Beijing pursues a policy aimed at enhancing its economic openness and expanding trade cooperation with countries around the world by improving the business environment, enhancing the attractiveness of its markets to foreign products and services, and consolidating its position as a major market in global production and supply chains. China is striving to achieve its economic development with significant innovation capabilities in its universities and domestic companies. In many global innovation indicators, China currently surpasses the United States. China is also leading or on par with leading global companies in fields such as commercial nuclear power, electric vehicles and batteries, robotics, and artificial intelligence, in which China is making rapid progress. Furthermore, China’s policy of combining lower costs with increasing innovation capacity is making a growing number of Chinese companies strong global competitors. This rapid progress in innovation stems from the Chinese Communist Party’s relentless efforts to dominate global markets in a range of advanced industries.
Here, China has coordinated its innovation plan with its strategy for achieving China’s rejuvenation through science and education, which focuses on development based on scientific and technological advancements and a workforce development strategy centered on cultivating high-quality talent. China’s policy has also successfully facilitated the country’s rapid transition from “Made in China” to “Innovate in China,” demonstrating to the developing world how China has explored a development path suited to its specific national conditions and inviting others to follow China’s example.
