“Innovation-driven
development strategy”
CHINA’S innovation-driven development strategy aims at encouraging innovation in all areas, particularly scientific and technological innovation. Innovation should be demanddriven in response to the needs of industrialization. Businesses are major players in delivering innovation, and the market should play the decisive role in allocating resources. The full potential of our socialist system should be explored. The strategy seeks to enhance the contribution of scientific and technological advances to economic growth, which would serve as a new growth driver and help sustain sound economic development.
The main measures to be taken to this end include creating a favorable environment for fair competition and a market-based mechanism that encourages technological innovation. It is also essential to promote financial innovation to provide more incentives for innovative uses of technology. Another area of focus is building a more efficient scientific research system, and implementing an effective talent management mechanism for training and attracting competent personnel. A highly integrated approach is necessary to ensure an open, innovation-friendly climate. China seeks to have in place by 2020 an institutional, legal and policy framework for innovation-driven development so as to provide a solid basis to put China on track to become one of the world’s most innovative countries.
“Alleviating poverty”
SINCE China introduced the policy of reform and opening up in the late 1970s, great economic and social progress has been made, leading to significant improvement in the overall standards of living. As a result, several hundred million people have been lifted out of poverty, accounting for more than 70 percent of poverty reduction worldwide during the same period. Much remains to be done, however, to eliminate the still substantial pockets of poverty, given the fact that China, a country with a large population, is still in the primary stage of socialism, and its diverse regions show varying levels of development.
At the end of 2015, China’s 55.75 million rural residents still lived below the national poverty line, that is, they had an annual net income of less than 2,300 yuan ($333) per capita. China’s poverty alleviation initiatives are now facing some of the most daunting challenges.
Against such a backdrop, China launched in 2014 its first National Poverty Alleviation Day, which is to be marked on October 17 each year. China will allocate more resources for poverty relief and mobilize all sectors of society to join the fight against poverty. Development efforts aimed specifically at reducing poverty will be stepped up, so as to put an early end to poverty. Effective measures will be implemented to steadily improve access to adequate food and daily necessities, compulsory education, basic medical services and housing.
“National big data strategy”
BID data can be characterized by the huge volume, the wide variety, the extreme velocity at which data are processed, and the high value that big data technologies can create.
The issue of big data was discussed for the first time in the Report on the Work of the Government delivered in March 2014. At its Fifth Plenary Session in October 2015, the 18th CPC Central Committee unveiled a national big data strategy that promotes open exchange and sharing of data. The need for such a strategy underscores the increasing importance of big data as a strategic asset on China’s development agenda. The strategy calls for exploring the potential of big data technologies to boost economic growth, and improve governance at all levels, as well as government services and regulation.
This move will enable the Chinese Government to switch from an authority-based approach to governance to a data-based approach. It will not only create a higher level of interaction with the public, but also enhance the ability of the government to respond to exigencies and solve problems with the aid of smart data technologies. The implementation of this strategy is also expected to accelerate big data related core technology research, development and application, so as to enhance China’s national competitiveness and pave the way for future development.
“New path to urbanization”
NEVER in history has a developing country as large as China, with a population of 1.3 billion, attempted to engineer a carefully managed urbanization. China can no longer follow the beaten track of inefficient and blinkered development relying on borrowed money that damages the environment and results in an imbalance between the needs of the population and land resources. That path will lead the country nowhere. At this crossroads, China must take a new path to urbanization in the right direction.
The new urbanization drive is based on China’s realities in the primary stage of socialism. It is a choice that meets our development imperatives and enables us to make the best use of the opportunities available to bring assured success to this process.
Emphasis should be put on achieving the best results of urbanization. A people-centered approach is indispensable. Appropriate plans should be worked out to ensure that towns and cities of all sizes complement each other with welldefined functions for coordinated development. Eco-friendly measures will be effectively implemented in our push for green, circular and low-carbon development. Special care must be taken to preserve traditional culture in our effort to redevelop cities and towns with historical landmarks and local or ethnic features.
“Eco-compensation system”
THE decision to established an eco-compensation system was made by the 18th CPC Central Committee at its Third Plenary Session. The system aims at preventing damage to the environment, and enhancing and promoting ecological conservation and protection. It targets those involved in business and other activities, including production, and exploitation and use of natural resources, that have or might have negative environmental impacts. It represents a new approach to environmental stewardship that relies on market-based mechanisms and a legal framework to promote protection and restoration of ecosystem services.
The eco-compensation approach can be understood in both a broad and a narrow sense. Broadly speaking, it involves compensation for environmental pollution or for damage to ecosystem functions. In a narrow sense, it refers specifically to compensation for damage to ecosystem functions and their values.
The Chinese Government will implement the “polluter pays” principle to make those responsible for producing pollution and benefiting therefrom responsible for paying for the damage done to the environment. Efforts will be stepped up to improve the compensation mechanism for key ecosystem function conservation areas and promote the establishment of horizontal eco-compensation programs among regions.
“Made in China 2025”
ON May 8, 2015, China’s State Council unveiled its first 10-year national plan for transforming China’s manufacturing, entitled “Made in China 2025.” The plan is designed to put China on a new path to industrialization, with greater emphasis on innovation, expanded use of new-generation information technology, intelligent manufacturing, consolidation of the industrial base, integration of industrial processes and systems, and a robust multilayer talent development structure. Measures taken in this respect will facilitate China’s transformation from a manufacturing giant with a focus on quantity to one with a qualitative edge.
Specifically, the plan envisions the completion of the process of basic industrialization, and a significant leap in China’s overall manufacturing capability by 2025, characterized by reinforced innovative ability, greatly improved overall productivity, and a new level of integration of industrial processes and information technology.
The implementation of the plan will expand the cooperation scope between China and the rest of the world in a joint effort to propel new progress in the global manufacturing sector.
(Source: Keywords to Understand China
published by China Academy of Translation
and China International Publishing Group)