Zhu Yongxin, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), led a team from the Committee on Education, Science, Health and Sports of the CPPCC National Committee to South China's Guangdong province from June 25 to 28 to learn about the construction of international and regional science and technology innovation centers. 

During their stay in Guangdong, the team visited high-tech companies, research institutes, universities, laboratories and innovation cooperation exhibition centers. A symposium was also held during the visit. 

Noting Guangdong’s efforts to develop the real economy, Zhu acknowledged the achievements made by the province in accelerating industrial transformation and upgrading, reinforcing industrial foundation, advancing supply chain modernization, developing strategic emerging industries, and building a more internationally competitive modern industrial system. Those efforts have made the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) a model and pioneer in high-quality development and Chinese modernization, he said. However, compared with world-class bay areas, the GBA still lags behind in fundamental research and cutting-edge research capabilities, he added. 

Zhu called for concerted efforts to meet both urgent and long-term national needs while advancing the construction of international and regional sci-tech innovation centers. This initiative necessitates increasing efforts in applied basic research to achieve breakthroughs in fields such as next-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, quantum science, biotechnology, new energy and new materials, he said. He also stressed the need to optimize the evaluation system for sci-tech talents, focusing on innovation value, capability and contribution. 

Zhu also said that open innovation should be strengthened, where global innovation resources are integrated to create a world-class platform for talent cultivation and entrepreneurship.