From Imitation to Innovation: Future Trends

Abstract

China’s ambition of becoming “an innovation-oriented country” by 2020 and “the world’s leading science power” by 2050 has attracted world attention. In other words, China’s leaders wish to see the country transformed into an innovation-oriented society within a relatively short time. Following intense debate about whether China’s strategy — gaining technology by sacrificing its market — has partly failed, Chinese enterprises are becoming less reliant on foreign technology (Li-Hua, 2008). As a matter of fact, technology transfer between developed and developing countries is strategically significant in the building of science and technology capability. China’s leaders have made “indigenous innovation” a cornerstone of the country’s future development. Many indicators and statistics, such as the number of science and engineering papers that Chinese researchers publish in international journals, the amount of investments made in research and development (R&D) and the number of patents registered, indicate that China’s science and technology capacities have been developing quickly.