New ideas in the Long River Delta: Shanghai strengthens its position as China's science and technology centre

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, emphasised that Shanghai has a historic mission to become an international centre for scientific and technological innovation. The city should be guided by national strategy, strengthening its role as a source of innovation and a leader in cutting-edge industries. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Shanghai has been giving full play to its leading role in innovation, promoting the growth of the innovation capacity of the Yangtze River Delta region and gradually building a coordinated and highly efficient innovation community, which has become one of the key drivers of China's high-quality development.

In the field of Zhangjiang and other locations in Shanghai, there are a number of important national scientific infrastructures. Large scientific facilities, such as Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, serve the entire country and have a significant impact on the Yangtze River Delta region. During his inspections, President Xi emphasised the need for close regional cooperation, integration of scientific resources and the establishment of a strategic centre for technological innovation that will provide high-quality technological support for national development.

Shanghai's strength in innovation continues to grow – the concentration of major scientific facilities, the rapid growth of high-tech enterprises and the accelerated development of key pioneering industries such as integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence are strengthening its position. Platforms such as the science and innovation corridor G60 or a new area Lingang support the coordinated organisation of industrial chains. The region also accelerates the cross-border flow of scientific and technological resources through joint research projects, innovation consortia and the sharing of large scientific instruments.

With the implementation of legislation aimed at the coordinated development of scientific and technological innovation in the Yangtze River Delta and new decisions by the Central Economic Conference, the establishment of an international centre for scientific and technological innovation in Shanghai is increasingly spreading throughout the region. Regional cooperation in the field of innovation is thus entering a new phase of institutionalisation and legal anchoring, steadily moving towards the creation of a globally significant centre of technological innovation.

CMG