The 2025 Private Economy Innovation & Development Conference, co-hosted by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and the People's Government of Shaanxi Province in Northwest China, took place on Sept 26 in Xi'an, capital of the province. 

Gao Yunlong, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the ACFIC, attended the conference and delivered a speech. 

Gao acknowledged private enterprises' active involvement and  achievements in advancing innovation-driven development. He said that private enterprises, as major players in China's scientific and technological innovation, should strengthen applied basic research, enhance original innovation capacity and strive for breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields as well as in frontier technologies. He called for the building of research and innovation hubs that attract global talent and urged private enterprises to shoulder greater responsibilities in promoting China's high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology. 

He emphasized the need to advance the integrated development of scientific and industrial innovation strengthen enterprise-led collaborative innovation among enterprises, universities and research institutes, as well as among enterprises of different sizes. He also called for efforts to promote the demonstration and application of new technologies, their products, and scenarios. He also highlighted the importance of building a system that integrates technology, patents and standards, ensuring standardized supply chains and enabling private enterprises to play a bigger role in fostering new quality productive forces. 

Gao encouraged private enterprises to better understand innovation, promote entrepreneurship, increase investment in research and development, accelerate the materialization of sci-tech outcomes and advance digital and green transformation. By fostering a virtuous cycle in which technology and industry facilitate each other's development, he said, enterprises can take steady steps toward high-quality development. 

He expressed his hope that private enterprises will seize opportunities to participate in building Xi'an into a regional innovation hub and in developing Shaanxi's modern industrial system, thereby contributing to the province's high-quality development.