Premier: Innovation development needed

Editor's note: During the Fifth Session of the 10th National People's Congress held in Beijing from March 5 to 16, Premier Wen Jiabao, on behalf of the State Council, delivered a Government Work Report to the deputies that urges self-innovation throughout its 35 pages.

The following is the second part of the innovation-related keywords in Wen's report.

The 5th keyword: self-innovation and coordination of regional development

"Stick to overall consideration, with a reasonable plan, full playing advantages of the policy so as to promote the coordination of regional development," Wen stressed in the report, adding "the government will continue to push development in the west of China with the focus on strengthening the construction of infrastructure and the environment as well as science, education and industries with local advantages."

Meanwhile, according to the report, China will actively drive to revitalize the industries in Northeast China, with the emphasis on the readjusting of industrial structure, restructuring and transforming key industries and enterprises, promoting the development of equipment manufacturing, raw material processing, hi-tech and farm product processing industries, and enhancing the construction of grain bases.

As for the central areas of China, the Chinese government plans to further enhance grain productivity in key areas, as well as processing and capacity, as well as the construction of energy and raw material bases and a comprehensive transportation system, and to give superior support the development of advanced manufacturing and hi-tech industries.

In the east areas, China will focus on optimizing and upgrading the industrial structure, strengthening self-innovation capacity and international competitiveness so as to take the lead in reform and opening up as well as in scientific development. The central government will continue to give full play to the role of special economic zones, like Shanghai's Pudong and the Tianjin's Binhai new area.

The 6th keyword: national intellectual property strategy

The country will "formulate and implement the national intellectual property strategy and to conscientiously strengthen intellectual property rights protection", Premier Wen urged in his report, and "the government will seriously carry out the tasks and targets by the National Mid-long-term Science and Technology Development Plan with a focus on building China to be a innovative country."

China will implement major national science and technology projects, obtain key technologies concerning the people's livelihood and the national economy and security, strive to make breakthroughs in key fields with the help of new progress in technologies in large equipment.

Meanwhile, Wen said China will enhance research in science, new technology and social commonwealth, and try to establish a technical innovation system with the enterprise as the main body that is market-orientated with research and production within one system.

China will set up a complete incentive system for encouraging independent innovation and implement supporting policies in tax, finance and government purchase systems. "Risk investment mechanisms will be set up and we will continue to publicize science and technology in the whole society," Wen said.

The 7th keyword: the strategy of building China to be a strong country in intellectual power

It is common desire of Chinese people and also an important task for the government to ensure social stability, harmony, prosperous economy and a peaceful life. "The government will continue to carry out the strategy of building a strong country in intellectual power this year for promoting building a harmonious society," Wen said.

To speed up the training of high-level professionals will be the focus, and China will need leading experts and young or mid-aged senior experts in its innovation movement. Therefore the government will expedite the reform of the personnel system to promote the personnel flow, encourage students abroad to return China and improve the work by introducing foreign expertise. China will create a favorable environment in the entire society to respect working, knowledge, talent and creation.

The 8th keyword: independent brand

"China will firmly push the reform and opening up forward", said Wen, "and will make new breakthroughs in key fields and links, such as expanding foreign trade and creating more jobs, optimizing the import and export structure and thus changing growth pattern, making new efforts to relieve the contradiction of the excessive foreign trade surplus, supporting the export of products of independent brands and high value, expanding the export of service and agriculture products, reining in the product export of high energy consumption and heavy pollution, as well as accelerate the transformation and upgrading of the processing trade.

We will increase the import of energy, raw materials, advanced technical equipment and key components. China will try to improve the quality and structure of foreign investment, introducing more advanced technology, management experience and high quality talent."

The premier pointed out that China will attract the big international companies to transfer more high-level production lines and research and development to China, attract foreign investment to central and western parts of China, old industrial bases in the Northeast region or other areas in accordance with the industrial policy.

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(China Daily 04/02/2007 page9)