US-China tech rivalry puts home-grown innovation ‘at the heart’ of modernisation drive, Xi Jinping vows

‘Talent is the foremost resource’, and bolstering China’s pool of professionals will be more heavily prioritised in the coming years, according to Xi Jinping’s report to party cadres

Technological self-sufficiency and ‘winning the talent war’ are deemed critical steps toward gaining an upper hand as competition with US shows no sign of abating

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China says it will ramp up efforts to bolster its professional workforce as it strives to become a technological powerhouse, but the undertaking is expected to take several years. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:00am, 17 Oct 2022Updated: 9:33am, 17 Oct 2022

President Xi Jinping is doubling down on the importance of technological self-sufficiency, innovation and education in China’s development plan, as the country has become embroiled in increasingly heated competition with the United States.

“Education, technology and talent provide fundamental and strategic support to China’s modernisation,” Xi said on Sunday when delivering his report to Communist Party elites at the opening ceremony of the 20th party congress – a pivotal political event that will unveil a new leadership line-up under Xi while presenting a road map for the country’s development over the next five years and beyond.

“[China] must insist that technology is the foremost productive force, that talent is the foremost resource, and that innovation is the foremost impetus,” says the report by Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party. “Innovation will remain at the heart of China’s modernisation drive.”

It lists “greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology” as being among the priorities for the coming five years – a crucial period as the nation strives to become a tech powerhouse by mid-century. The report also highlights the need to bolster China’s professional workforce and create a high-quality talent pool.

“[China must] perfect its technological innovation system, insist on innovation’s core position in the overall socialist modernisation … speed up the implementation of the strategy where innovation drives development … [and] gather momentum to make breakthroughs in leading original technologies,” the report adds.