The Release of the English Version of China’s Technological Independence and Innovation

The launch and thematic seminar of the new book China’s Technological Independence and Innovation was recently held in Beijing. This book was planned by the China National Publications Import and Export （Group） Co.， Ltd. in celebration of the Centennial of the Communist Party of China， and published overseas by Prunus Press in the United States. Its author Gustavo Alejandro Girado is a professor at the National University of Lanús and Argentinian expert on China.

The book traces China’s repeated attempts to advance the process of independent innovation without relying on foreign technology transfer， particularly through the “China Torch Program” implemented in 1988 and the “Outline of the National Program for Long-Term and Medium-Term Scientific and Technological Development （2006--2020）” which broke China out from its former model of export-led growth. In 2019， China’s Ramp;D investment accounted for 2.23% of its GDP. As Chinese society continues to march into the digital age， the issue of strategically important technology standards has become increasingly significant， and China as a pioneer in AI technology policy making， is therefore in the global spotlight.

According to Professor He Yaomin， former Vice President of Renmin University of China， this insightful report seeks to explore the “secret” of China’s rapid economic development in concrete terms， including how to establish “l(fā)ocal innovation”， break away from technological dependence and even “mental dependence”， and emerge from a dependent economy. At the same time， it is also a work that explores international “discourse power of standards” and “discourse power of rules”. According to Guo Cunhai， from the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， Girado’s book is important as it will help Latin American people learn about the real China without resorting to Western discourse systems.