The successful
implementation of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies has a very
important role in the prosperity of any nation in the global market. Technological
innovation is one of the factors which contribute to economic development,
establishing ties between science and business in a rapidly changing global
environment.
Of course In China is not different. Innovation is an important element of the technological and overall development of the country. The comprehensive goal ofthe Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is to make China an “innovation-oriented” society by 2020. To achieve
this objective, the government has put a range of
policies in place. A key priority of its current Five Year Plan (2011-15) is to
transition the country from “Made in China” to “Created in China.”
 |
Land of contrasts: Beijing’s astonishing CCTV Headquarters
building alongside with the worker riding a bicycle. |
China’s first patent law was passed in the same year as urban reforms
began in 1984. China entered the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 and
adopted the associated trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPs)
agreement along with the harmonization of its IPR system with the strictures of
the international standards. On the other hand, ineffective enforcement has
been an issue in China, and the patent laws are no exception. The imperfect
legal system characterized by weak enforcement has represented a big challenge
for innovation in the country. Innovation as captured in the form of patents is
indeed growing in China despite an imperfect legal system.
From 1995 to 2005,
the spending on research and development increased
at an annual rate of nearly 19% and reached USD 30 billion (at current exchange
rates) in 2005. Currently, China
state’s Science and Technology Development Plan suggests 2.5 percent of GDP to
be spent on research and development by 2020.
 |
Contrasts of Shanghai: Cheap China is fading fast,
and innovative China is emerging.
|
Looking back in the Chinese history we
see that the 1950’s was featured by the Marxist ideas of science and technology
as a tool to the development of productive forces and by the assistance from
Soviet Union. Based on this idea, Chairman Mao believed that communist ideas
should guide scientific work. In 1955 was formulated the first Science and
Technology (S&T) Plan for 1956-67. In this period, more than 10,000 Soviet
and East European experts worked in China and thousands of Chinese engineers
trained in Soviet Union.
From 1958 to 1960, the Great Leap
Forward represented the strong ambition to catch up quickly with the Western
industrialized nations. Mao Zedong
wanted to encourage more construction of industries in rural areas. The idea of
“walking on two legs” was based on a
technological dualism: combining large-scale, capital-intensive industries with
small-scale, labor-intensive industries.
As history shows us, the Great Leap Forward had disastrous consequences: hunger
and inefficiency. In early 60’s a period
of Readjustment took place from 1961 to 1965.
It happened just after Soviet Union withdrew its assistance in 1960 and at the same time we can
observe the emergence of new principles, such as balanced growth – less
investment, in order to support consumption – and agriculture emergence the
foundation of economic development. Furthermore,
during this period of readjustment, one of the key features was the idea of market socialism – the idea that profit motivation is important to
promote science and technology. In 1962 the second S&T plan defined more resources
devoted to military research and is possible to notice a reduced emphasis on
ideological work and more emphasis on professional expertise.
In the period of Cultural Revolution,
people had to be classified according to whether they were “red” or “experts”.
Policy-makers had to answer few questions at this time. Is Science and Technology the “superstructure” or the “basis” of society? Are scientists members of the working class? How to ensure that
scientists or engineers work for socialist
revolution and not bourgeois capitalism?
Education should be ideological or
professional?
This period was extremely detrimental
for the promotion of science and technology expertise in China. Scientific
research was badly disrupted.
Research institutes were closed and scientists were sent to the countryside. Important
western scientific theories (such as Einstein’s relativity theory) were
denounced. Furthermore, education was increasingly emphasized on ideological
persuasion, instead of scientific expertise. As a result of this, engineers lost power in
industrial enterprises and only socialist scientists could build a socialist
nation.
It is important to note that Chinese
economy has depended mainly on structural changes – shift from agriculture to
manufacturing and that’s why is important to keep the pace of economic and
scientific and technological growth. From
the end of the Cultural Revolution onwards
(2000’s) China’s development of scientific and technological capability has
lagged behind its
economic growth. From 2000 onwards we see a significant progress been made
towards developing the country’s scientific and technological capabilities. This
is a period in which Chinese leaders put into place policies trying to raise
the level of scientific and technological expertise within China and its
enterprises. Policymakers started to emphasize that the development of
technology in a developing country has important economic and strategic roles. Currently,
government policy encourages Chinese working overseas
to return home by rewarding returnees who bring back foreign technology. Training technicians and scientists
has been at the heart of China’s national economic plan for the next years.
OECD defined a timeline to better understand the evolution of reforms on S&T
in China: experimentation (1978-1985),
the structural reform (1985-1995), the deepening period (1995-2005), and the
development of a firm-centred innovation system (2005- ).
