* The 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference has as soon as once more drawn international consideration to China’s innovation drive, with a spotlight this yr on nearer integration between technological and industrial innovation.
* China’s define of the fifteenth Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) locations the mixing of technological and industrial innovation excessive on the agenda. Since the blueprint’s launch, the ZGC Forum has emerged as one of many key platforms for gathering international insights on advancing this purpose.
* Innovation has lengthy been central to China’s growth agenda. After years of sustained efforts, the nation has grow to be a significant international hub for innovation.
Guests attend the twenty ninth episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media speak present hosted by Xinhua News Agency. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)
BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) — The 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference has as soon as once more drawn international consideration to China’s innovation drive, with a spotlight this yr on nearer integration between technological and industrial innovation.
The newest episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media speak present hosted by Xinhua News Agency, delved into this key theme. Guests from authorities, business and academia examined how this alignment may inject contemporary momentum into the world’s second-largest financial system within the coming years.
Zhai Tianrui, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park, speaks on the recording website of the twenty ninth episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media speak present hosted by Xinhua News Agency. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)
INTEGRATION TAKES CENTER STAGE
China’s newly launched define of the fifteenth Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) locations the mixing of technological and industrial innovation excessive on the agenda. Since the blueprint’s launch, the ZGC Forum has emerged as one of many key platforms for gathering international insights on advancing this purpose.
“At the forum, industry leaders from around the world shared their views on cutting-edge technologies and emerging industrial frontiers,” mentioned Zhai Tianrui, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park, on the roundtable. Zhai mentioned the ZGC Forum itself mirrored the spirit of integration by bringing collectively researchers, entrepreneurs and policymakers to discover sensible options.
Exhibits on the forum provided a more in-depth take a look at how breakthroughs could be translated into productiveness. A variety of rising applied sciences — from 3D screens to robots with improved sensing skills — have been showcased, demonstrating pathways from analysis to business functions.
Liu Hui, head of the Consumption and Industry Development Research Institute of JD.com, speaks on the recording website of the twenty ninth episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media speak present hosted by Xinhua News Agency. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)
For Liu Hui, head of the Consumption and Industry Development Research Institute of JD.com, the hot button is to match applied sciences with utility wants. Liu mentioned efforts ought to give attention to higher aligning innovation with real-world situations to assist industries cut back prices, enhance effectivity and assist the event of future industries.
Guests additionally cited momentum in frontier fields corresponding to synthetic intelligence, quantum data and biomanufacturing, highlighting them as essential drivers for fostering new high quality productive forces.
Zhang Xiaoyan, deputy director of China Center for Information Industry Development, mentioned that as a brand new wave of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation positive factors pace world wide, the tempo of turning innovation into industrial functions can be accelerating. Against this backdrop, Zhang added, China has secured early benefits in some fields, creating favorable circumstances to grab future alternatives.
Zhang Xiaoyan, deputy director of China Center for Information Industry Development, speaks on the recording website of the twenty ninth episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media speak present hosted by Xinhua News Agency. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)
TURNING BLUEPRINT INTO ACTION
Innovation has lengthy been central to China’s growth agenda. After years of sustained efforts, the nation has grow to be a significant international hub for innovation. The World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2025 ranked China among the many international high 10 for the primary time.
China has additionally established the world’s largest manufacturing system by scale, with probably the most complete industrial classes. With strengths in each technological innovation and industrial capability, visitors mentioned, deeper integration between the 2 may create a multiplier impact.
With such integration listed as a key activity within the nation’s growth blueprint for the following 5 years, consultants confused that the precedence now’s to translate the plan into concrete motion, with native practices already offering sensible examples.
A robotic exhibits its operate of needle threading on the everlasting exhibition on the Zhongguancun Exhibition Center in Beijing, capital of China, March 25, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
Beijing has been among the many front-runners in advancing this integration. Over the years, the capital has inspired enterprises to take the lead in constructing innovation facilities, strengthened cooperation mechanisms linking incubators, universities and industrial parks, and guided monetary capital towards expertise growth.
Efforts are additionally being superior by means of nationwide innovation hubs. According to this yr’s authorities work report, China plans to develop Beijing (the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area), Shanghai (the Yangtze River Delta) and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into worldwide facilities for sci-tech innovation and switch them into world-class innovation engines.
Liu Dongmei, Party secretary of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development, mentioned that to additional strengthen their position, the innovation hubs ought to absolutely leverage their means to draw innovation and promote the sharing of analysis and growth assets. Liu added that sci-tech innovation clusters needs to be constructed round key industries.
Liu Dongmei, Party secretary of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development, speaks on the recording website of the twenty ninth episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media speak present hosted by Xinhua News Agency. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)
Looking forward, visitors expressed confidence that China’s basis for sci-tech innovation will grow to be extra strong. “China’s research and development will shift from being high-end and impressive to more practical and accessible,” Zhang mentioned, including that small and medium-sized enterprises will transfer from serving primarily as suppliers for massive companies to turning into collaborative innovation companions.
“China will also transition from being a testing ground for innovative applications to becoming a global source of innovation,” Zhang mentioned.