Opinion

Deepen Open Cooperation and Boost Original Innovation

Basic research underpins the entire scientific system, holds the master key to solving all technological challenges, and sits at the forefront of global sci-tech competition. The new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is gathering pace, with certain areas of basic research displaying interdisciplinary and transboundary features.

At this new development stage, advancing international cooperation in basic research can effectively break geographical, technological and information barriers. It facilitates the in-depth flow of global innovation factors and the connectivity and sharing of worldwide research resources, substantially cutting exploration costs, boosting the efficiency of research on core bottlenecks, and pooling global expertise and cutting-edge capacity to deliver breakthroughs in original innovation. To deepen international cooperation on basic research, targeted measures must be adopted to develop an all-dimensional, multi-tiered and high-caliber framework for open cooperation.

First, regular collaborative innovation platforms should be established. Focusing on key frontier areas, we will work with other countries to build joint laboratories and research collaboration bases, carry out joint research projects and academic seminars on a regular basis, promote the connectivity of research data, experimental resources and academic outputs, and establish a stable, long-term mechanism for international scientific collaboration.

Second, two-way talent exchange should be facilitated. We will pursue a dual approach of attracting and nurturing talent. On the one hand, we will proactively recruit world-leading basic research specialists and outstanding young researchers. On the other hand, we will support Chinese researchers in participating in major international research programs and overseas academic exchanges, build international development platforms for young scientific talent, and foster a globally oriented research talent pipeline.

Third, international rules for research cooperation should be improved. We will actively align with global research governance systems, deepen rule convergence in intellectual property protection, research ethics, data sharing and the commercialization of research outcomes, and take an active part in setting global standards for basic research. These efforts will steadily strengthen China's voice and influence in global sci-tech governance and foster an open, inclusive and mutually beneficial ecosystem for research collaboration.

Policy

1. The National Development and Reform Commission, together with the Ministry of Finance, has allocated the fourth and final batch of RMB 62.5 billion in ultra-long special treasury bonds for consumer goods trade-in programs, bringing this year's total to RMB 250 billion.

2. The World Data Organization has recently established five new branches in Hangzhou, Nanning and other cities for international cooperation on building an open-source data ecosystem, facilitating cross-border data flows, and advancing data development and utilization. Set up in March this year and headquartered in Beijing, the organization works to promote global data development and governance practices.

Data

1. The China-Europe Arctic container route, the world's first regularly operated service of its kind, has completed eight voyages this year, carrying 7,761 TEUs of cargo worth RMB 5.33 billion. The cargo mainly consisted of energy storage devices, power batteries, and new energy vehicles, and was shipped to more than 20 countries and regions, including the UK, Germany, and the Czech Republic, according to Ningbo Customs.

2. Data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed that in the first eight months of this year, China's total telecommunications business volume grew steadily, with 5G network construction and applications continuing to advance. China had built 5.195 million 5G base stations by the end of August, accounting for 39.7 percent of all mobile base stations.

3. October 3 marks the 13th anniversary of the proposal to jointly build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Since the beginning of this year, China has opened several new foreign trade routes directly linking Latin America, Southeast Asia and other regions, and its international container liner routes now cover more than 100 countries and regions.

4. The latest data from the Asset Management Association of China showed that the total assets under management (AUM) of asset management products reached RMB 88.37 trillion by the end of Q2 2026. These products are managed by fund management companies and their subsidiaries, securities companies and their subsidiaries, futures companies and their asset management subsidiaries, and private fund managers.

5. According to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the domestically developed AG600 "Kunlong" amphibious aircraft has completed its 2026 deployment in Jiagedaqi, northern China, after a four-month aerial forest firefighting and emergency response mission.

6. China's daily seawater desalination capacity has reached 3.077 million tons, driven by breakthroughs in domestically developed core equipment, and the country aims to raise that figure to 4.5 million tons per day by 2030, the Ministry of Natural Resources said.

7. From January to August, the total revenue of China's basic medical insurance pooled funds (including maternity insurance) reached about RMB 2.07 trillion, while total expenditure stood at RMB 1.55 trillion, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration.

8. According to Gongbei Customs, 80,400 vehicles crossed the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port from October 1 to 5 under the Northbound Travel schemes for Hong Kong and Macao vehicles, up 11.1 percent year on year. Of these, 60,100 were Hong Kong vehicles, up 24 percent year on year and setting a record for the same period of the National Day holiday.

9. The rail-sea intermodal service of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor had transported over 1 million TEUs as of October 6 this year, further strengthening the corridor's capacity to maintain smooth logistics flows.

10. China's gold reserves rose by 740,000 ounces to 77.47 million ounces as of the end of September, marking the 23rd consecutive month of purchases, according to the People's Bank of China.

(Source: Economic Daily)