Beijing's sci-tech sector booming

Beijing has made significant scientific and technological advancements in the past five years, as the capital bids to become the nation's center of sci-tech innovation, the city government has said.

Sci-tech innovation accounted for more than 60 percent of the city's economic growth last year, according to the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission.

Meanwhile, turnover of technology contracts reached 394 billion yuan ($58.7 billion), double the figure five years ago.

The gross revenue of the Zhongguancun National Demonstration Zone, an innovation hub, totaled 4.57 trillion yuan, 2.4 times the 2011 total.

Beijing's expenditure on research and development last year totaled 147.98 billion yuan, the highest in China and above the average level for developed countries.

The capital also produced 76.8 patents for every 10,000 residents, 9.6 times the national average.

Beijing is home to 16,000 national high-tech enterprises — 16 percent of the total nationwide — and 432,000 sci-tech enterprises.

Last year, 80,000 new sci-tech enterprises were registered in the city, accounting for 36 percent of all newly registered companies.

In addition, the capital was home to more than 350 startup incubators by the end of last year, 125 of which were recognized as national makerspaces.