Shanghai leads transformation into global sci-tech innovation hub

Through increasing abroad market and accelerating the event of sci-tech merchandise, Shanghai is main the Yangtze River Delta in its bid to turn out to be China’s worldwide scientific and technological innovation middle.

A report lately launched by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology reveals that Shanghai is ranked first amongst all Chinese cities within the 2025 sci-tech innovation index.

Walking into Agibot, a Shanghai-based robotics firm, visitors are welcomed by a gaggle of humanoid robots dancing and performing splits and even entrance flips.

The firm is now the world’s prime producer of embodied AI robots, with its 15,000th robotic rolling off the road final month.

Yao Maoqing, senior vp of Agibot, mentioned that worldwide market gross sales are additionally increasing.

“Overseas, we have three main regional markets. Europe and the US, the Asia-pacific and the Middle East, and parts of East Asia, such as Japan and the Republic of Korea. These markets are all very interested in robotics, mainly because their manufacturing bases are relatively weaker than China’s, and they face greater labor challenges,” he mentioned. China is without doubt one of the fastest-growing markets of embodied intelligence. And Shanghai takes the lead in each full robots and robotic elements manufacturing. One of the explanations is the whole industrial chain within the Yangtze River Delta Region.

Embodied intelligence is certainly one of China’s future industries, in keeping with its fifteenth Five-Year Plan. The Yangtze River Delta Region has over half of the nation’s embodied intelligence firms.

Most of the elements wanted to construct a robotic could be discovered within the area. And with the one-hour visitors circle, firms can improve their robots and reply rapidly to market wants.

At the top of final 12 months, China determined to increase the worldwide sci-tech middle from Shanghai to the whole Yangtze River Delta Region.

The area leads the nation in sci-tech innovation. In 2025, the area’s analysis and growth funding depth is 3.45 p.c, larger than the nationwide common.

“Humanoid robots are currently one of the hottest cutting-edge industries. Robot development along the Shanghai Nanjing corridor is very well balanced. In particular, core cities such as Shanghai and Suzhou are leading the way, driving growth across the entire industrial chain. We have just established an industry finance collaboration mechanism along the corridor, focused on the integration of embodied intelligence and financial institutions including the banking sector,” mentioned Lu Hai, deputy director of the Office of Regional Coordinated Development of Shanghai’s Putuo District.

China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the assertion made by Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi 10 years after the so-called “2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea”, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson mentioned in Beijing on Sunday.

The assertion blatantly endorses the unlawful “award”, assaults China’s lawful claims and mischaracterizes Japan as a “legitimate stakeholder who uses the South China Sea”, mentioned the spokesperson.

Japan isn’t a celebration within the South China Sea and is in no place to go judgment on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and pursuits within the South China Sea. During World War II, Japan dedicated innumerable crimes that triggered untold struggling on China and its individuals, together with the unlawful occupation of islands and reefs within the South China Sea, mentioned the spokesperson.

Now many years later, Japan, within the identify of a “stakeholder”, is once more making an attempt to meddle within the South China Sea. This reminds individuals of Japan’s historical past of aggression and enlargement, and heightens their vigilance in opposition to Japan’s neo-militarism agenda, mentioned the spokesperson.

China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and related rights and pursuits within the South China Sea have been established within the lengthy course of historical past, and are solidly grounded within the legislation. China’s actions within the South China Sea are totally authentic, lawful and past reproach. China’s rights within the South China Sea can not at all be denied by the makeshift “arbitral tribunal”, mentioned the spokesperson.

In rendering the “award”, the “arbitral tribunal” exceeded its authority and abused its jurisdiction. The “award” is of course unlawful, null and void, and has no binding drive. It has gravely undermined the sanctity and authority of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and dealt a critical blow to the worldwide rule of legislation, mentioned the spokesperson.

China neither accepts nor acknowledges the “award”, and opposes and can by no means settle for any declare or motion arising from it, the spokesperson added.

By turning a blind eye to the obtrusive flaws within the “award” whereas brazenly endorsing it, Japan has laid naked its double requirements and hypocrisy, mentioned the spokesperson.

What Japan actually cares about isn’t the worldwide rule of legislation, however meddling in and destabilizing the South China Sea. For a while, Japan has been stepping up collaboration with the Philippines and increasing its export of weapons and gear to the nation. Japan has additionally deployed navy forces abroad on many events and launched offensive missiles. These actions go far past the scope of self-defense, break away from Japan’s Constitution and norms within the worldwide legislation, and problem the post-war worldwide order, mentioned the spokesperson.

China urges Japan to cease smearing China, cease sowing disinformation within the South China Sea, and cease undermining peace and stability within the area, mentioned the spokesperson, including that China will proceed firmly defending its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and pursuits within the South China Sea.

Any makes an attempt to problem China’s lawful rights and pursuits and undermine peace and stability within the South China Sea are doomed to fail, the spokesperson mentioned.