Guangdong plans to build world-class technology innovation center

2017-December-14       Source: Newsgd.com

Recently, a plan for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Corridor was issued to establish a 180-km long economic belt crossing Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dongguan. It is hoped that it will grow into China’s Silicon Valley and become a world-class technology innovation center.

It is regarded as an important move to help Guangdong to be more in line with top international innovation centers such as Silicon Valley, Boston, Tokyo - Yokohama - Tsukuba area.

According to the plan, the area will become the core of the Pearl River Delta National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone and a globally influential innovation enterprise cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even in China.

Covering an area of 11,836 sq km, the corridor focuses on ten core innovation platforms like Guangzhou Science City, Dongguan Marina Bay New Area and Shenzhen High-tech Zone, as well as other innovation centers.

The layout of Guangzhou-Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Corridor. [Graph by Zheng Weiliang, Jasmine Yin]

The corridor encompasses eight local enterprises listed on the Fortune Global 500, and world-renowned enterprises like Tecent, Huawei, ZTE, GAC Group. It is set to develop leading industries including new generation of IT, bio-pharmaceuticals, intelligent equipment and new energy vehicles.

The plan has three-step development goals for the corridor, to lead technological innovation capacity in China by 2020, to become a science & technology innovation center with global influence by 2030 and to become a world-class science & technology innovation center by 2050.

“Guangdong is leading in industry chains, opening-up, market growth, application of scientific achievement.” said Yang Jun, the Deputy Director General of Guangdong Science and Technology Department.

Over recent years, Guangdong has been implementing an innovation-driven development strategy and upgrading its industrial structure. In 2016, the province saw 250,000 new patents licensed, among which 20,000 were international patent applications, in addition to 160,000 valid invention patents, topping any other regions in China.

Now there are about 20,000 high-tech enterprises in Guangdong, accounting for over one third of innovative enterprises and ranking first in China.

Reported by Will Wei

Edited by Simon Haywood; Olivia Ouyang