"Innovation is an Important Driving Force Leading World Development" — China Joins Hands with the World to Embark on a New Journey of Innovative Development

Since the beginning of the year, waves of innovation in China have repeatedly captured global attention: videos of humanoid robots performing martial arts with fluid grace have spread widely on overseas social media; the International Olympic Committee, leveraging Alibaba's Qwen large language model, has developed an official Olympic AI model, with Chinese artificial intelligence serving as the "smart brain" of the Milan Winter Olympics; and video creators worldwide are eagerly testing Seedance 2.0, a Chinese AI video generation model.

"Seizing innovation means seizing development; planning for innovation means planning for the future." "Innovation is an important driving force leading world development." Since entering the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly grasped the trends of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, leading China to unwaveringly implement the innovation-driven development strategy and building international consensus through Chinese practice.

The world looks forward to the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, seeking to perceive the fresh blueprint and contemporary pulse of China joining hands with the world to pursue innovative development and march toward a win-win future.

A Chinese Solution with Foresight

On the shores of the East China Sea, domestically produced large aircraft roar through the skies; deep in southern Guizhou, the "China Sky Eye" quietly listens for echoes from the universe; across mountains and seas, the code of China's open-source AI large models dances at the fingertips of developers worldwide. In China today, waves of innovation surge forward, not only solidifying foundations and injecting momentum into its own development, but also expanding space and opening up the future for common global development.

These innovation achievements that amaze the world stem from long-term planning with a single blueprint carried through to the end, and succeed through steadfast, step-by-step cultivation.

The wise hear what is silent; the perceptive see what is formless. In 2013, at the first National Two Sessions held after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that we must unwaveringly follow the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics, deepen the reform of the science and technology system, continuously open up new prospects for national innovative development, and accelerate the transition from a large economy to a strong economic power.

Both the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans placed scientific and technological innovation in a prominent position, while the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan mention "technology" 46 times and "innovation" 61 times. With enduring strategic resolve, China has anchored its forward goals for innovative development.

In the eyes of Clemens Schütte, Chairman of the German-Chinese Economic Federation, innovation is not a phased policy focus for China, but a clear and firm long-term strategic choice. China's in-depth implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, he notes, "is not only a rational choice in line with the trends of the times, but will also profoundly influence the global path of innovative development."

"Innovation is the primary driving force for development." Since the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made a series of top-level designs and major arrangements for innovation-driven development.

There is profound insight into historical opportunities — China has entered a critical period where new industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization develop simultaneously, in parallel, and with overlapping effects, bringing vast space for independent innovation and providing unprecedented strong momentum.

There is a clear blueprint for the development path — promoting industrial innovation through scientific and technological innovation, especially using disruptive and frontier technologies to foster new industries, new models, and new drivers of growth, and developing new quality productive forces.

There is active shaping of future patterns — China is actively developing future industries, strengthening emerging industries, and upgrading traditional industries, with innovative potential continuously being transformed into economic kinetic energy.

The rise of AI is empowering thousands of industries; embodied intelligence is accelerating toward industrial application; China's "artificial sun" has achieved a leap to "hundreds of millions of degrees for thousands of seconds"; and the superconducting quantum computing prototype "Zuchongzhi-3" has set a world record... Addressing weaknesses while racing to the frontier; grounded in the present while planning for the long term. The engine of innovation-driven development is growing increasingly powerful, and the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics is becoming broader and broader. "China has already reached the forefront of the world in many technological fields," assessed the Financial Times.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung shook hands with Chinese robots; Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi boarded a Chinese high-speed train; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz experienced an automotive assisted driving system developed through China-Germany enterprise cooperation. Foreign leaders' in-depth experiences of "Intelligent Made in China" during their recent visits to China reflect the high level of international attention on China's innovative development vitality.

After analyzing the economic performance of multiple Chinese provinces in 2025, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao concluded that China's economic growth "is no longer a continuation of traditional drivers, but increasingly manifests as the convergence of emerging drivers."

The Global Innovation Index 2025 shows that China's ranking has entered the global top ten for the first time. "China has become one of the fastest-growing countries in the Global Innovation Index," said Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

The Successful Path of Concentrated Efforts to Break Through

"Why does Chinese innovation succeed?" This is a question repeatedly asked by international observers.

On the eve of the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse, the first stop of General Secretary Xi Jinping's 2026 local inspection tour was the National Information Technology Application Innovation Park in Beijing's Yizhuang.

During the inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must give full play to our country's advantage of concentrating efforts to accomplish major tasks, bringing together various high-quality elements to tackle key problems. This deeply resonated with Lin Yonghua, Vice President and Chief Engineer of the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence, who was present at the scene.

"With clear strategic direction and high resource concentration, once key areas are identified, large-scale investment can be quickly mobilized," Lin Yonghua told reporters.

China's innovative development benefits from "concentrating efforts to accomplish major tasks."

The recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan propose improving the new national system, taking unconventional measures, and promoting decisive breakthroughs in the攻关 of key core technologies in priority areas such as integrated circuits, industrial mother machines, high-end instruments, basic software, advanced materials, and bio-manufacturing across the entire chain.

Low Yik Lin, Director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at the National University of Singapore Business School, was deeply impressed by this. In his view, while innovation policies in many countries are often limited to a specific department or level, China has consistently been committed to "connecting the public and private sectors and linking governments at all levels," a systematic innovation capability that holds enlightening significance.

China's innovative development emphasizes "combining with national needs, people's demands, and market needs."

From "Chang'e" reaching for the moon and "Jiaolong" exploring the sea, to the BeiDou navigation system guiding fishing boats safely back to harbor and 5G remote medical services benefiting remote villages, Chinese innovation embraces both the stars and the sea and the daily necessities of life.

A report by the US think tank Stimson Center pointed out that China, through industrial policy guiding the deep integration of design and production, has rapidly applied artificial intelligence to manufacturing, ports, hospitals, and other fields, with the speed of transforming innovation achievements from laboratories to application scenarios being remarkable.

China's innovative development is also adept at "gathering the spirit of the four seas and leveraging the strength of all directions."

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that independent innovation is not about working behind closed doors, going it alone, rejecting learning from advanced experiences, or isolating oneself from the world.

Chinese new energy vehicles are being produced in European factories, while European automakers have rooted themselves in China to conduct joint R&D; multinational pharmaceutical companies are competing to establish R&D headquarters in China, and Chinese innovative drugs are accelerating their global expansion through a "co-development, co-commercialization" model. In this two-way journey of "bringing in" and "going out," innovation cooperation between China and the world continues to deepen.

Currently, China has established scientific and technological cooperation relations with more than 160 countries and regions, weaving an accelerating global network of innovation cooperation. Tunde Rahman, Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Media and Special Duties, expressed his hope that China's 15th Five-Year Plan will bring more opportunities for China-Africa cooperation in scientific and technological innovation and other fields.

Chinese Actions for Progress Together

"Innovation is an important driving force leading world development." In his speech at the 28th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly revealed the role of innovation in global development.

This February, the first APEC Senior Officials' Meeting and related meetings of 2026 were held in Guangzhou. Carlos Mondragón, Advisor to the President of Peru's National Council for Science, Technology and Technological Innovation, sensed a strong signal both inside and outside the venue: innovation is becoming a keyword for Asia-Pacific cooperation.

"As the APEC host for 2026, China's listing of innovation as one of the three priority areas this year carries positive significance," Mondragón said. Parties engaged in in-depth communication in Guangzhou on technology transfer and industrial capacity building, and look forward to the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen in November to reach more consensus on innovation cooperation.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "At present, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing in depth. To solve common development challenges, humanity needs international cooperation and open sharing more than ever before."

Promoting international cooperation in scientific and technological innovation reflects China's consistent philosophy: the fruits of innovation should benefit the world.

During the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Tianjin Summit, parties adopted the "Statement of the Council of Heads of State of SCO Member States on Further Strengthening Cooperation in Science and Technology Innovation," announcing the establishment of the China-SCO Center for Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation. "Innovative development is of extraordinary significance for the SCO, which is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary," said Sheradil Baktygulov, Director of the Institute of World Politics of Kyrgyzstan.

Ruslan Yesin, Head of the Department for Interaction with the SCO and BRICS at the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus, believes that China's innovative development is never limited to itself, but shares technology and markets with the world through platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the SCO, and BRICS.

The China BeiDou system serves more than 140 countries and regions; Chinese high-speed rail technology provides solutions for global transportation upgrades; China proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative; together with Brazil, South Africa, and the African Union, China launched the "International Cooperation Initiative on Open Science"; and China took the lead in initiating international big science programs such as "Deep-time Digital Earth" and "Ocean Negative Carbon Emission"... China is increasingly becoming a pivotal force in the global innovation landscape.

South African public policy and legal expert Ndumiso Hlophe pointed out that while enhancing its own innovation capabilities, China is boosting global technological progress, knowledge sharing, and common prosperity, playing a leading and exemplary role in the global innovation system.

A China full of innovative vitality will not only inject inexhaustible momentum into its own modernization, but also bring more development opportunities to the world. Looking to the future, China will continue to illuminate the path of development with the light of innovation, contributing Chinese solutions to addressing global challenges and promoting common prosperity.