Traditional industries and high-tech sector to benefit from upgrade, work report says

China will continue to upgrade its traditional industries, support the emerging high-tech sector, and increase support for basic and applied research, according to the 2019 Government Work Report released on Tuesday.

The country will strengthen its innovation capabilities, boost the integrated development of advanced manufacturing and modernized services, and create industrial internet platforms to facilitate the transformation and upgrading in manufacturing, the report said.

China will also improve the quality of its products and services to meet advanced international standards, thus encouraging more domestic and foreign users to choose Chinese goods and services.

By strengthening research and application of big data and artificial intelligence technologies, it will foster clusters of emerging industries like high-end equipment, biomedicine, new-energy automobiles, new materials and expand the digital economy, the report said.

Hence, China will support these industries and new forms of business models with accommodative and prudent regulations, and stimulate the healthy development of platform and sharing economies. The Internet Plus initiatives shall also be integrated in all industries and sectors.

China will speed up broadband and lower internet rates, with measures including launching demo projects to extend 1,000M broadband connectivity into urban homes, upgrade networks for telemedicine and online education.

This year, the average broadband service rates for small and medium enterprises will be lowered by another 15 percent, and average rates for mobile internet services will be further cut by more than 20 percent. Cellphone users will also be able to keep their numbers when switching carriers.

As for supporting scientific and technological progress, the nation will step up original innovation, and work harder to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields.

Companies, universities, and research institutes will be united under enterprise-led mechanisms to engage in innovation. International cooperation in innovation and science will also be expanded.

China will enhance intellectual property protection, improve the system of punitive compensation for IP infringements, and promote inventions and their integration into industries.

“Technological innovation is in essence a human creative activity,” the report said. “We must fully respect and trust our scientists and researchers, and empower teams and leaders of innovation by placing more human, financial and material resources at their disposal.”

Measures include increase the proportion of indirect funding for basic research, putting a spending cap on certain projects that enable the retention of unused funds, and allowing scientists to have greater autonomy in budget and research decisions.

China will also work hard to cut red tape to allow researchers to focus on their pursuit of learning, innovation and breakthroughs, the report said. Research ethics and academic integrity will be enhanced to curb academic misconduct.