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Opinion / Op-Ed Contributors

Creating new dynamism through reform and innovation

By Li Keqiang (China Daily) Updated: 2014-09-12 07:24

We will step up science and technology innovation. The Chinese economy is among the largest in the world, but in many sectors China still ranks fairly low and its traditional, extensive way of seeking growth has been proved unsustainable. Readjusting the structure must be driven, more than ever, by science and technology progress, and that requires strategic, structural, and innovative readjustment. We will support and provide guarantee to certain sectors and curb and scale back some others, cultivate and promote new products and new businesses and speed up the development of service, high technology and emerging sectors. At the same time, we will phase out overcapacity, accelerate the transformation of traditional sectors and eliminate outdated capacity so that Chinese products and China's service sector can move up the global value chain and more value could be created through innovation. We must invest more in human capital and increase the ranks of high-caliber workers. We will improve the technological sophistication, quality and brand awareness of Chinese industries. In particular, we need to step up reforms to remove restraints on innovation by individuals and companies. When the talent of all, or at least most of the nearly 200 million professionals and skilled workers is brought to the full, a new pattern of innovation by the people and innovation by all, supported by the massive physical and mental power of the people and the strength of China's manufacturing and creative capability, will be fostered. This, coupled with the development of advanced and even revolutionary technologies, will create more value and move China's development to a higher level.

China faces uneven development between its urban and rural areas and among its different regions. But the existing disparity, which is quite striking, can entail a huge potential. Promoting a people-centered, new type of urbanization will be in itself the biggest structural readjustment. We will seize opportunities brought by technological advances and global industrial revolution to speed up the development of such schemes as "broadband China" and "smart cities", leverage the role of cities across the country in galvanizing hinterland development, promote urban-rural integration and a gradient development of different regions and bring about a synchronized progress of the new type of industrialization, IT application, urbanization and agricultural modernization. At the same time, we will vigorously develop programs related to people's wellbeing, promote equal access to basic public services and strengthen social security, including providing security to those who failed in their entrepreneurial endeavor to help them restart businesses. We will continue to increase household consumption and make sure that greater internal demand could serve as a new power to drive economic growth.

The Chinese economy, now heading toward further growth, is also being weighed down by increasing resources and environmental constraints. It is imperative for us to enhance energy conservation and environmental protection. Tackling climate change is not only our binding international obligation as a major responsible country, but also the pressing need for our own development. There is no turning back in China's commitment to a sound eco-system. We have declared war on pollution and earnestly fulfilled our due international responsibilities. We are studying the action targets on greenhouse gas emissions control, including the peak of CO2 emission, the carbon emission intensity reduction and the increase in the share of non-fossil energy by 2030 and beyond. We have the resolve, the will and the capability to pursue green, circular and low-carbon development. We will keep focusing on scientific and technological innovation and make hard and unremitting efforts to step up environmental management, boost the development of energy conservation and environment protection sectors, fulfill the task of energy conservation and emissions reduction, and work with other countries to effectively address global climate change.

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