China will never shut its doors to foreign collaboration, says official

China will keep expanding international cooperation with other countries on climate change, public health, energy, as well as scientific policy, research ethics and other topics of global concerns, Wang Zhigang, minister of science and technology, said on Friday. 

At the same time, China will enhance intellectual property protection, optimize its legal and policy environment to support research and innovation, and provide more opportunities and conveniences for foreign scientists to work in China, he added. 

According to the communique of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China released on Thursday, China will become more self-reliant in science and technology, with the goal of becoming a global leader in innovation. 

However, some foreign media has interpreted this measure as China closing its gate to the world, which Wang rebutted in the news conference hosted by the CPC Central Committee. 

"Being self-reliant in science and technology is not in conflict of being open and cooperative," Wang said. "Open cooperation has been a key component of China's path toward independent innovation. On the other hand, self-reliance is the basis and perquisite of conducting fair and mutually respected cooperation with other countries."

"China has and never will close its doors and try to innovate all by itself," he said. "China's S&T innovation and development is increasingly reliant on the world, and the world's progress also increasingly needs input from China."

Wang said China needs to be self-reliant in science and technology because key technologies cannot be bought. At the same time, China hopes to learn more from other countries, share its own scientific achievements with the world, and contribute to jointly tackling global issues.