China Review News Agency:

General Secretary Xi Jinping has expressed his hopes and requirements for innovation-driven development in Shaanxi during two trips to the province. What will Shaanxi do to leverage its advantage of innovation to achieve new breakthroughs in high-quality development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period? Thank you.

Liu Guozhong:

Thank you. I will answer this question. I have just briefly introduced to you the strengths and resources Shaanxi has in terms of innovation. Last year, Shaanxi ranked 9th in the country in terms of comprehensive scientific and technological innovation, and inked technology contracts worth 175.8 billion yuan. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, hi-tech industries and strategic emerging industries in the province grew by an average annual rate of 16.4% and 10.2% respectively.

At the same time, we are aware that the overall effectiveness of Shaanxi's innovation system is not yet efficient enough, and performs poorly when transforming scientific and technological achievements into practical applications. This leaves great potential to tap. In March, we launched the Qinchuangyuan platform to help drive innovation, which is a technological innovation system covering R&D, incubation and industrialization. The platform aims to encompass incubators, accelerators and promoters, in order to deliver impressive results as soon as possible.

Let me elaborate a little bit more about the name of the platform: Qinchuangyuan. "Qin" is short for Shaanxi, which symbolizes the Shaanxi people's spirit of never stopping until reaching the goal. Meanwhile, "Qin" also means diligence in Chinese. "Chuang" means innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and aiming for excellence. "Yuan" refers to a highland or plateau, which means the platform is aimed at building a highland for innovation. "Yuan" also means to keep flowing, signifying that the platform will continue producing achievements in scientific innovation. Moreover, "Yuan" implies searches and researches. As the name suggests, Qinchuangyuan is expected to grow into a powerhouse of innovation in Shaanxi.

After the platform was launched, we set up a special leading group and a task force, and drew up a three-year action plan and a series of instructions. We have tried to encourage the government, universities, institutions, businesses and financial institutions to participate in the platform. During the previous stage, we sorted out all the policies and measures available for technological innovation, and came up with a policy package of 70 items in five categories: scientific professionals, the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, business innovation, research platforms and services. They are all included on the platform for unified application, unified handling and one-stop services. At present, three main aspects of work have been done in the construction of the platform. First, we have channeled innovation factors into enterprises. Efforts include setting up the Modern Industry College as well as the Future Technology College at Xi'an Jiaotong University, establishing eight R&D platforms as well as business-institution innovation consortiums, and combing through more than 1,000 scientific achievements. Thirty-two projects have kickstarted, with a total investment of 45 billion yuan. Second, we have connected innovators and startups with funding. We have attracted more than 10 billion yuan of angel capital and venture capital, and more than 10 incubators and venture investors. Third, we are turning researchers into entrepreneurs. We set up a fund dedicated to professionals every year, fostered teams consisting of scientists and engineers, fostered professional brokers in the field of science as well as project-based high-level talents.

Next, we will endeavor to build Qinchuangyuan into a high-level competitive platform with unique characteristics. First, it will be an open platform committed to pooling wisdom and strength, and will fully mobilize the participation of all parties in the province including the government, industry, universities, research institutions, users and financial institutions. We will strengthen cooperation with other provinces, and countries and regions along the Belt and Road. We will also promote achievements, hold roadshows, and mobilize as much as we can to assemble innovation factors. Second, the platform gives priority to innovation and projects. While promoting R&D to reduce reliance on others for key technologies and making achievements, we will strive to incubate and launch projects, businesses, and industries in scientific innovation, promote the dynamic link between the innovation chain and the industrial chain, and provide solid support for high-quality development. Third, we will make bold moves. We will optimize systems and policies, enhance services for professionals and the assessment of scientific achievements, innovate market-oriented financial products, continuously unleash the vitality of talents, and thus create a good ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you, Mr. Liu, Mr. Zhao, Mr. Wang and friends from the media. That's all for today's press conference. See you next time.

Translated and edited by Zhu Bochen, Wang Qian, Zhang Liying, Li Huiru, Xu Xiaoxuan, Chen Xia, Gong Yingchun, Zhang Rui, Wang Mengru, Huang Shan, Yan Xiaoqing, Wang Wei, FanJunmei, Xiang Bin, Liu Jianing, Yuan Fang, He Shan, Zhang Junmian, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Tom Arnstein. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.