Technological transformation stressed by local officials
Guangdong province is revving up efforts to integrate industry and technology, enhance self-reliance in sci-tech, accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system and shape new dynamics and advantages in development, said local officials at the Guangdong Provincial High-quality Development Conference held in Shenzhen on Sunday.
During the conference, there was an exhibition showcasing the achievements of the industry-technology integration, covering areas such as new drugs and medical devices, marine technology, scientific instruments, artificial intelligence and chips, materials, new energy storage, modern agriculture, and equipment.
“The 5.0T MRI imaging system has the characteristics of a large imaging field, high resolution and fast speed,” said Li Ye, a researcher for the Imaging Center of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
“The higher the magnetic resonance imaging field strength, the higher the resolution. It’s like going from taking photos to shooting movies,” Li said.
Another “first” on exhibition was the intelligent three-dimensional desktop color ultrasound R9 developed by Mindray Medical International. This is also the first high-end desktop color ultrasound R9 produced domestically.
Guangdong is bolstering innovation-led growth in enterprises, industries and development, and striving to open up a “closed loop” for the transformation of sci-tech achievements.
At the end of 2023, the first domestically developed high-energy nonelastic neutron spectrometer was unveiled in Dongguan, Guangdong province.
This “neutron microscope”, jointly constructed by Sun Yat-sen University and the China Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, is expected to lay the foundation for the development of new materials.
In early January, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology awarded certificates to the third batch of 11 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao joint laboratories. With the addition of the first and second batches totaling 20, Guangdong now has 31 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao joint laboratories, boosting the convergence of innovative resources.
In his speech at the Guangdong Provincial High-quality Development Conference, Huang Kunming, secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, emphasized the importance of technological innovation.
Guangdong’s GDP exceeded 13 trillion yuan ($1.8 trillion) in 2023, ranking it first in the country — a position it has held for 35 years.
With its industrial foundation, the province is leading the manufacturing industry in China. It has more than 71,000 large-scale industrial enterprises; 75,000 high-tech enterprises and 1,500 specialized and new “little giant” enterprises, all ranking first in the country.
Its regional innovation comprehensive capability has ranked first in the country for seven years and the number of Guangdong’s research and development personnel; valid invention patents; highvalue invention patents; valid registered trademarks and international patent applications filed via the Patent Cooperation Treaty all rank first nationally.
In recent years, Guangdong has focused on the construction of an innovation chain covering “basic research, technological innovation, achievement transformation, science and technology finance, and talent support”; promoted major scientific and technological projects such as core software research; and made breakthroughs in fields such as nextgeneration communication, terminal operating systems, industrial software, energy storage and new energy, ushering in a rise of new productive forces.
Huang also emphasized the importance of cherishing talents and working together with Hong Kong and Macao to accelerate the construction of a high-level talent hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, insisting on both a high-standard precise introduction and highquality independent training; creating more platforms and opportunities; opening up channels for the realization of talent value and making the talent pyramid in Guangdong “more solid at the base, stronger in the body and higher at the top”.
“We must strive together with enterprises, fully support enterprises in taking innovation as the main theme, always adhere to the principle that quality is life, efficiency is life, actively use new technologies, new equipment, new materials and new processes, promote the overall improvement of enterprise production technology, drive industrial transformation and upgrading, achieve the transformation of traditional industries with new vitality and foster the development of emerging industries,” he said.