In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the recent Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation marked a pivotal shift towards a new-era economy driven by science, technology, and innovation. President Xi Jinping emphasized the focus on “high-quality development,” paralleling China’s domestic agenda, and unveiled “eight major steps” to shape the future of the BRI.
Among these, the fifth step—advancing scientific and technological innovation—stands out as a significant stride towards fostering global collaboration and development. This move goes beyond addressing previous challenges such as excessive debt and corruption, which President Xi tackled by promoting “small yet smart” programs and establishing an integrity-based compliance evaluation system. The renewed vision underscores the importance of innovation as the cornerstone of sustainable growth.
The measures outlined include the establishment of 100 joint laboratories over the next five years and initiatives to support young scientists from BRI partner countries in short-term programs in China. President Xi envisions the BRI becoming “a road of innovation,” prioritizing innovation-driven development, strengthening scientific and technological cooperation, optimizing the innovation environment, and creating technology trading and transfer markets.
Recognizing the scarcity of innovative talent in some partner countries, China is organizing scientific training activities aimed at cultivating such talent. With the global digital divide posing a challenge, building the digital economy in developing countries—much like China’s own experience—has the potential to spur economic growth and narrow disparities. Initiatives such as smart cities, mobile payments, and cross-border e-commerce are set to transform these economies.
By the end of 2021, China had established scientific and technological cooperation with more than 160 countries and regions, spanning sectors like medicine, agriculture, oceanography, energy resources, public health, advanced manufacturing, and cutting-edge fields such as materials and information technology. As of June 2023, China had signed intergovernmental agreements on science and technology cooperation with over 80 BRI partner countries.
Notable examples of this collaboration include the China-Kenya Joint Laboratory of Crop Molecular Biology, which focuses on food security and horticulture; the China-Austria Joint Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Manufacturing, integrating China’s digital economy and AI with Austria’s manufacturing expertise; and the China-Egypt Joint Renewable Energy Laboratory, leveraging China’s solar technology with Egypt’s abundant solar resources.
Looking towards the future, basic science takes on heightened importance. Chinese scientific institutes and universities have established research centers with BRI partner countries, fostering cooperation in fundamental sciences. Co-authored research papers in areas such as materials science, chemical physics, nanoscience, and environmental science highlight this collaborative effort.
However, innovation cooperation varies significantly among BRI partner countries. Five countries—Singapore, India, Israel, Russia, and Malaysia—account for over 80% of cooperative patents. To address this imbalance, China is establishing a targeted BRI basic research fund to enhance scientific and technological capabilities across partner nations.
China is also strengthening cooperation in key research areas specific to partner countries: information technology and biological sciences in Singapore; physics, aerospace, and mathematics in Russia; and oil and gas exploration, storage, and transportation in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Moreover, the space agencies of Pakistan and Azerbaijan are joining international partners in China’s lunar research station project, aiming to build a permanent base on the Moon in the 2030s.
Nurturing basic science differs fundamentally from building infrastructure. The prioritization of both basic and applied research in BRI partner countries represents a significant upgrade to the initiative, signaling a commitment to long-term, sustainable development through innovation.
Reference(s):
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