By TONG Xudong
Located in central China, Hunan province is the birthplace of Chinese revolutionaries like Mao Zedong, who led the people through many struggles in recent history. These struggles not only changed the fate of the nation, but also went on to influence the world.
In the new era, Hunan has moved into a stage of high quality development, and innovation has gained momentum. The contribution rate of sci-tech progress to economic growth has reached 60 percent. The number of hi-tech enterprises has increased by 3.74-fold in five years, totaling 8,631. Hunan has opened up to more than 200 countries and regions in international economic and trade cooperation, with 100 sister cities. In the first half of 2021, the added value of hi-tech industries in the province increased by 22.2 percent year-on-year, 10.5 percentage points higher than the GDP growth rate.
Hunan is loaded with talented individuals. A number of first-class universities and scientific research institutes in the province have brought together 37 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering and more than 100,000 scientific researchers. The late world-renowned scientist Yuan Longping, the father of hybrid rice, spent most of his life in Hunan.
Hunan has seen a lot of scientific innovations: Tianhe-2, the world's first exascale supercomputer, Jinghua, the homegrown, largest diameter tunnel boring machine, and Manatee II, the world record setting deep-seabed drilling rig system. Moreover, about half of the core components of high-speed trains in China come from Hunan. In addition, for every 10 concrete machines rolling off the production line in the world, eight are made in Hunan.
Hunan is actively implementing the strategy of innovation-driven development and delegating power to empower people. We have taken the lead in launching major basic research and basic applied research projects, set up a competition for those with talent so as to support researchers and cultivate and build high-level technological innovation platforms. These are represented by the Yuelu Mountain Laboratory, to support building Hunan into an advanced manufacturing base for construction machinery, rail transit equipment, aviation power and other industries.
Four local laws and regulations have also been put forward to support sci-tech innovation and mobilize the enthusiasm of scientists and engineers for innovation. In addition, a great effort has been made to bring in sci-tech talents and teams to Hunan to innovate or start businesses. Comprehensive support of up to 100 million RMB (15.4 million USD) has been made available to the most innovative teams.
Standing at the new starting point of its second centenary goal, Hunan's pioneering spirit for sci-tech innovation will continue along with providing strong support for high-quality economic and social development.
In Hunan, we extend an invitation to old and new friends from all over the world to join us in our new blueprint of sci-tech innovation cooperation.
Tong Xudong is Secretary of the Leading Party Group and Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Hunan Province.