Simon and his co-authors demonstrate that China is becoming increasingly embedded in international science and technology affairs at the highest levels and that China promises to have a steadily more important influence on the shape and character of the global innovation system.
KUNSHAN, CHINA—China is in the midst of transitioning from a manufacturing-based economy to one driven by innovation and knowledge and a new book co-authored by Denis Simon, executive vice chancellor at Duke Kunshan University, provides up-to-date analysis which evaluates China’s state-led approach to science and technology, and its successes and failures.
The book, entitled
Innovation in China: Challenging the Global Science and Technology System, is the product of extensive field work and interviews in China as well as analysis of official Chinese government pronouncements and statistical data over the last several years.
The publication of this book is extremely timely and relevant as China’s President Xi Jinping, has gone to great lengths to emphasize the importance of innovation in the evolving Chinese economy, said Simon, who also is professor of China business and technology at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
‘There is hardly a major speech by President Xi that does not include an admonition to industry, government and educational leaders to give greater attention to innovative performance as a driver for future Chinese economic growth,’ Simon said.
The main theme of the book is to highlight the important changes that have taken place in the structure and operation of the Chinese innovation system. Since 2006, when Chinese officials announced the National Medium- and Long-Term Program for Science and Technology Development (2006-20), there has been a concerted effort across China to enhance the level and intensity of indigenous innovation so that more and more of the knowledge capital needed by China is produced by home-grown research efforts.
While some have suggested that this push to give greater emphasis to indigenous innovation means that the Chinese are moving in the direction of becoming more techno-nationalistic, the chapter on China’s international science and technology relations demonstrates that China’s officials remain strongly committed to cross-border cooperation and collaboration. Simon and his co-authors show that China is becoming increasingly embedded in international science and technology affairs at the highest levels and that China promises to have a growing influence on the shape and character of the global innovation system.
Chinese research and development spending, according to the authors, has been growing at a rapid pace over the last decade, more than 20% increases on an annual basis some years; and twice as fast as the pace of economic growth in general.
‘While it is true that money cannot buy innovation, it is the case that substantial resources are essential to fund world-class research activities both in terms of attracting high end talent and purchasing advanced equipment,’ said Simon.
As part of the reform of the science and technology (S&T) system, China seems to be moving away from exclusive dependence on a top-down, state-led driven model of innovation’with more and more attention being given to the role of ‘independent innovators’ or technological entrepreneurs. In addition, more and more funding for S&T activities is coming from provincial and municipal sources rather than simply from the central government in Beijing.
Perhaps the most provocative aspect of the book though is the authors’ cautiously optimistic conclusion about the improved performance of the Chinese innovation system.
They point out that improvements in the funding arrangements for S&T affairs, enhancements in the status and support for scientists and engineers, and modernization of the S&T infrastructure all suggest that China is already on the way to becoming a so-called technological superpower.
That said, however, they also point out that China must overcome a series of hurdles to keep moving ahead at the current pace. More specifically, they cite the need for changes in the often risk-adverse culture within the research environment, the development of a more performance oriented set of metrics to evaluate scientific success, and the closing of the gap between R&D and commercialization as essential requirements for future progress. Of course, also included in this array of critical determinants is China’s willingness to abide by the rules of the game regarding treatment of intellectual property and cooperation regarding cyber security.
In the final analysis, as Simon has said, ‘the questions surrounding Chinese innovation success has never really been about if China will succeed but only about when it will do so in a concerted fashion’. With the acceleration in the pace of global innovation and the rapid emergence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, China cannot afford to rest on its laurels as the so-called ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ gains momentum. China’s leaders seem to fully grasp the pivotal nature of the current period in world history and they seem ready and willing to attain a level of technological parity with the West that few could have anticipated just a few years ago. Then again, as President Xi Jinping has noted, China’s current rise is less of a surprise than most Western observers have suggested. The current Chinese leap forward in science and technology merely represents a return to the centrality of China as a major force in world affairs.
