Power of innovation
Both President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao delivered speeches at the National Science and Technology Innovation Conference, held in Beijing on Friday and Saturday. This points to the importance the government attaches to scientific innovation.
What is particularly noteworthy is that both admitted that the country's overall scientific innovation capability still leaves a lot to be desired.
President Hu emphasized the need to lift the country's innovation capability and called for a stronger sense of anxiety and responsibility in order to seize the opportunities. He called for authorities at all levels to increase investment so that spending on scientific and technological research rises from 1.83 percent of GDP in 2011 to more than 2.5 percent in 2020.
Premier Wen said that although China was a big manufacturing power, the lack of innovation capability on the part of Chinese enterprises meant it was not yet a strong one.
China does have very good opportunities for development, but that does not mean it will develop from a big economy to a strong economy.
Technological innovation is essential as new energy, new materials, environmental protection, and many other areas are crucial for sustainable development. And without innovation, a country that always relies on imported technologies for its development will never become a truly strong power.
The contribution that science and technology have made to the country's economic growth lags behind some developed countries. Many Chinese enterprises depend on foreign technologies for their success.
Chinese people have reason to be proud of the Made-in-China label, which has promoted its unprecedented economic growth. But this label needs to be changed to Created-in-China in the near future.
Enterprises must realize that whether they can increase their capability for innovation will decide whether they will be able to survive the increasingly fierce global competition.
Scientists and technicians shoulder the responsibility for China's future. Whether they can come up with new technologies will have a bearing on the country's economy and its political standing in the world. But the government must also implement policies to encourage innovation and create the environment for scientific and technological innovation.
Noda sends a bad signal
No matter what tricks Japan tries to play, it does not alter the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China.
On Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda admitted that his government was negotiating with a "private owner" to "nationalize" part of the "Senkaku Islands", which are China's Diaoyu Islands.
Noda has chosen a wrong turn; one that imperils ties between China and Japan.
The Diaoyu Islands and their adjacent islets have been inherent parts of Chinese territory since ancient times, and that China has indisputable historical and jurisprudential evidence for this. Any unilateral action taken by the Japanese side is illegal and invalid.
The farce to "purchase" the Diaoyu Islands was initiated by Tokyo' governor Shintaro Ishihara in April. Since then, Japanese right-wing groups have enthusiastically embraced Ishihara's absurdity. Japanese activists have made several attempts to land on the islands in an attempt to demonstrate Japan's self-proclaimed sovereignty over the islands.
Japan's shenanigans have already cast a shadow on Sino-Japanese relations. Even though many in China believe Ishihara's move does not represent the mainstream of the Japanese society and the policy direction of the Japanese government, it has aroused great indignation.
Ishihara's real motive in initiating this farce was to gain political capital at home. But now Noda has chosen to jump on the bandwagon and helped fuel Ishihara's mischief making.
China's Foreign Ministry was quick to brush aside Noda's ill-advised remarks on Saturday, stressing that the Chinese government will continue to take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the country's sovereignty over the Diaoyu Islands and adjacent islets.
But China should be fully aware of this ill trend, which does not bode well for Sino-Japanese relations, especially as the two countries are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties this year.
Should Japan continue to make provocative moves, China will be justified in taking more aggressive measures to safeguard its territorial integrity.
0 comments:
Post a Comment