By Special Correspondent

China has placed innovation and technological self-reliance at the center of its new development blueprint for the 2026–2030 period, outlining a strategy aimed at strengthening advanced manufacturing, accelerating technological breakthroughs and building a modern industrial system.

The outline of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), approved by the national legislature, calls for moving faster to achieve greater self-reliance in science and technology while transforming the country’s manufacturing-driven economy into a global innovation powerhouse.

According to the plan, China will focus on creating what it describes as “new quality productive forces” by harnessing opportunities arising from the latest technological revolution and industrial transformation.

Building a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone is a key priority of the blueprint. The plan highlights the need to strengthen the link between technological innovation and industrial application while promoting the commercialization of research breakthroughs.

China plans to increase investment in original innovation and expand support for basic research. The country aims to raise the share of basic research spending within total research and development expenditure, which reached a record 7.08 percent of overall R&D spending last year.

The blueprint also proposes the construction of a new group of major science and technology infrastructure projects to support cutting-edge research and innovation.

A national venture capital guidance fund established in December is designed to attract large-scale investment in emerging technologies. Authorities have also introduced plans to establish a national mergers and acquisitions pool aimed at mobilizing additional capital to support innovation-driven enterprises.

Regional governments are encouraged to develop specialized innovation clusters based on local strengths. Shanghai has focused on the development of brain-computer interface technology, which has been listed among the country’s future industries.

The plan also emphasizes integrating digital technologies into the real economy. China’s “AI Plus” initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence across key sectors and support the development of new forms of the smart economy.

At the same time, the blueprint highlights the importance of strengthening domestic capabilities in critical technologies. It stresses the need to develop homegrown technologies and reduce reliance on external supply chains in strategic sectors.

The plan also underscores high-standard opening-up and international cooperation in science and technology. China has signed more than 120 intergovernmental agreements on scientific and technological cooperation with other countries.

The innovation-driven strategy outlined in the five-year blueprint aims to accelerate industrial upgrading and support long-term economic development as China advances toward its modernization goals.

Credit: INP-WealthPk