Chinese vice-premier stresses integration of sci-tech and industrial innovation

BEIJING -- Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng has called for closer integration of sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation to promote sustained innovation-driven and high-quality economic development during a research trip in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited the districts of Huairou and Tongzhou, where he inspected sci-tech infrastructure, intelligent manufacturing and biopharmaceutical enterprises to learn about the commercialization of research findings, business development and product exports.

He called for strengthening the strategic support of science and technology, promoting collaborative innovation among industry, universities and research institutes and the application of technologies, and better support for the development of sci-tech innovation centers.

He stressed the need to balance development and security, step up financial support and strengthen factor support for areas, such as artificial intelligence and the development of computing power networks, coordinate innovation-driven development with risk prevention and control, and expand investment in new infrastructure in an orderly manner.

He urged efforts to foster and expand emerging industries, such as high-end manufacturing and biomedicine, support enterprises in pursuing independent innovation and upgrading the quality of their products and services, enhance their international competitiveness, and help them integrate into and expand global markets.

Efforts should be made to promptly summarize and refine practices that can be replicated elsewhere, conduct in-depth studies of practical problems and suggestions raised by grassroots officials and businesses, improve relevant policies in a targeted manner, further tap the potential of domestic demand, and sustain high-quality economic development, the vice-premier said.