China sticks to self-reliance and international sci-tech cooperation

Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng attend a meeting conflating the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2021. [Xinhua/Ju Peng]

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed self-reliance and self-strengthening in the country's science and technology development on Friday while also calling for improved openness, trust, and cooperation with the international sci-tech community.

The balanced approach underscores China's recognition of its own development path and the resolution to continue opening up to the world.

From the revolutionary times to the reform era, the Communist Party of China always attached great importance to the cause of science and technology and put them in a key, strategic position in China's development. In what has become a Chinese household saying, the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping said science and technology constitute a primary productive force.

Facing an increasingly complex world where the global economy is at risk of unilateralism and protectionism, it is imperative to pursue the innovation-driven development that suits China's realities. It is a consensus in China that it is impossible to ask for, buy, or beg for core technologies in key fields from other countries. Only by holding these technologies in our own hands can we ensure economic security, national security, and security in other areas.

In the face of intense international competition, and against the broad backdrop of growing unilateralism and protectionism, China needs to pursue an innovation path suited to its national circumstances. It should especially put enhancing its original innovation capabilities in a more prominent position and strive to make ever more "from zero to one" breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, China will continue to actively engage in cooperation with the international scientific and technological community, which is mutually beneficial. 

The views don't necessarily reflect those of Qiushi Journal.