A technician checks the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) at a workshop of the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 4, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua)

In the context of intensifying global technological competition, the urgency of enhancing original innovation capabilities for China's technological development and industrial upgrading is becoming increasingly critical.

The new year's first issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee, published a signed article of the Party Committee of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

The article urged state-owned enterprises to enhance the ability of original technology supply, noting that once breakthroughs are made in basic research and original innovation, they are likely to reshape the industrial and market competition landscape, fundamentally impacting the quality of productivity. As the backbone of building a strong technological nation, state-owned enterprises must prioritize enhancing their original innovation capabilities to better seize the initiative for future development, the article said.

It is not the first time for Chinese authorities to put an emphasis on original innovation. For instance, when addressing a conference of the centrally administered SOEs on sci-tech innovation in Beijing in November 2024, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing said the centrally administered SOEs should spare no effort to raise their capabilities for original innovation, intensify efforts on basic research, increase the supply of key generic technologies, and plan for cutting-edge and disruptive technologies, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The official emphasis on original innovation not only reflects China's determination and urgency in the path of technological self-reliance and strength, but also responds to the intensifying competition in the domestic and international technological landscape. 

Original innovation refers to groundbreaking advancements that can create entirely new fields, set new directions and establish new paradigms. Unlike general technological improvements or imitative innovations, it fundamentally changes technological frameworks, industrial ecosystems and even social structures.

For Chinese manufacturing, the value of original innovation is not only reflected in solving "bottleneck" problems, but also in its ability to stand at the forefront of technology, steering the course of industrial development and serving as a continuous source of momentum for economic growth and social progress.

In recent years, faced with severe challenges from Western technological blockades and suppression, independent innovation has emerged as the key for China to overcome difficulties and achieve self-reliance in technology. Through years of relentless effort, China has made remarkable strides across various fields, showcasing its strong capabilities in technological innovation and laying a solid foundation for the development of its technology sector. From the independent research and development of high-speed rail technology to the application of 5G communication technology, from breakthrough advancements in quantum computing to the application of artificial intelligence, China is gradually building an independent, controllable industrial system. 

However, independent innovation is merely the first step in China's journey to becoming a technological powerhouse. In the new stage of development, for China's high-end manufacturing industry to achieve sustainable development, it needs to achieve greater breakthroughs in original innovation. This means that innovation needs to not only address current technological challenges but also position the industry at the forefront of technology, exploring uncharted territories and guiding the future direction of development. It represents a comprehensive test of China's technological innovation capabilities.

According to the Global Innovation Index 2024 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, China moved up one spot to 11th place in the ranking of the world's most innovative economies, making it one of the fastest risers over the past decade, Xinhua reported.

In fact, in the field of basic research, China has made remarkable original achievements in recent years in cutting-edge areas such as quantum information, stem cell research and brain science. These breakthroughs have filled the gaps in these high-tech fields domestically and, with their unique scientific value and practical significance, have contributed Chinese wisdom and solutions to global technological progress. 

Last but not least, the importance of original innovation extends beyond enhancing a country's own capabilities; it also positively influences the global technological ecosystem. China's achievements in original innovation will continue to integrate into the global technological landscape, injecting momentum into the improvement and upgrading of the global innovation system and fostering sustained prosperity and progress in technological endeavors worldwide.

Global Times