BRI countries highlight technological strengths, cooperation needs

Countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative have exhibited varying technological innovation levels and obtained distinctive strengths, highlighting significant demands for international cooperation in development, a Chinese official said on Friday.

She made the remarks following the release of the English version of the National Innovation Index Report 2024 during the Second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Thursday.

"The report indicated that the technology and innovation levels of the 19 BRI countries evaluated were generally at moderate levels last year, with each country showcasing its unique characteristics in technological innovation," said Liu Dongmei, Party secretary of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED) under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

"Against the backdrop of a slowing global economic development, their main indicators of technological innovation showed a trend of stable growth," she added.

The report, released annually since 2011, offers a comprehensive analysis of 40 countries that collectively account for more than 95 percent of global research and development expenditure. It assesses indicators across five dimensions: innovation resources, knowledge creation, enterprise innovation, innovation performance and innovation environment.

The report showed that among the 19 BRI countries assessed, only the Republic of Korea and Singapore were included in the top 15 countries, ranking third and 13th respectively. The two nations were recognized as innovative countries with strong comprehensive influence on the global innovation landscape.

The Republic of Korea showed good innovation resources last year, ranking second in research and development investment and first in the number of invention patents in force.

Notably, Singapore ranked first in terms of its innovation environment. The country performed well in various indicators such as the ratio of international investment to GDP, the level of collaboration between enterprises and university in research and development, and the proportion of international collaborative papers to domestic papers, underscoring its appeal as an international hub for technology and innovation.

According to the report, nine countries ranked between the 16th and the 30th with their distinctive characteristics. For example, Austria boasted a significant proportion of STEM graduates, while Luxembourg and New Zealand exhibited high densities of startups. Portugal and Poland, on the other hand, demonstrated high efficiency in producing research papers, Liu noted.

Another eight countries ranked between 31st and 40th. Notably, Turkiye and Argentina in this group ranked second and third in gross higher education enrollment rates.

The release of the national innovation index, according to Liu, provides a practical reference for countries to enhance mutual understanding and carry out cooperation based on complementary advantages.

BRI countries have placed more emphasis on technological innovation in recent years and possessed unique strengths in this area. Coupled with the platform advantage of the BRI, she said there is a promising future for international technological innovation cooperation.

"We will expand the evaluation scope to include more BRI countries, better serving international scientific and technological innovation exchanges and facilitating the high-quality development of the BRI," she added.