Innovation new impetus for China's international cooperation

BEIJING - As an innovative comprehensive partnership was established between China and Israel, innovation became China's latest way to pursue win-win cooperation and long-term development with other countries.

The partnership was announced earlier this week during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit.

Israel is the second country with an "innovative" partnership with China, after Switzerland.

Innovation is ranked first among China's five new development concepts, followed by coordination, green development, opening up and sharing.

China and Israel expect to work closely on air pollution control and environmental monitoring.

Innovation is not only a priority in domestic development but is now injecting vigor into the world diplomacy.

Inspiration

The new partnerships are part of China's innovation-driven development strategy. China plans to become an innovative nation by 2020, an international leader in innovation by 2030, and a world powerhouse of scientific and technological innovation by 2050.

Both Israel and Switzerland have secured economic growth through technological development, making them China's ideal partners, according to Ruan Zongze, executive deputy president of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS).

"Such experiences are inspiring for China," Ruan said.

After the partnership was announced between China and Switzerland last year, "Made in China 2025," a plan to move the country's manufacturing sector up the value chain, was aligned with Switzerland's Industry 4.0 strategy.

"With China bent on furthering innovation, and Switzerland a champion of innovation, it makes sense to look to innovation to enrich the content of bilateral relations," Swiss Ambassador to China Jean-Jacques de Dardel told Xinhua in an earlier interview.

New partnerships with China are becoming the flavor of the month around the world.

Dong Manyuan, a specialist in the Middle East at the CIIS, said the China-Israel partnership had been helped by the Belt and Road Initiative, which has much influence in the Middle East.

China is the biggest Asian trade partner of both Israel and Switzerland. In 2016, total trade with Israel was $11 billion and $43 billion with Switzerland.

Part of a global network

China has different types of partnerships with 97 countries and international organizations. The two innovative partnerships represent a beginning which is sure to be expanded.

Innovation has already been mentioned in many of China's diplomatic relations with other countries and regions such as Russia and the European Union.

Ruan said it is natural for a large economy like China to develop different types of partnerships with other countries to satisfy various needs, and innovative partnerships are an obvious way forward.

China is placing innovation at the center of its vision of world governance as a way to bail out the faltering world economy. Innovative partnerships could be the future of China's diplomatic relations.