Shanghai Opening-up Hub aims to improve tech and science

Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub, the 7,000-square-kilometer area connecting parts of Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu seeking a higher level of opening-up, should shoulder more responsibilities concerning technology innovation and scientific researches, said officials at a press conference on Thursday.

Shanghai Hongqiao International Central Business District, which is the core area of the Hub, is home to more than 14,000 research and technology companies, Bao Bingzhang, Executive Deputy Director of the District’s administrative committee, said on the Thursday meeting.

In this sense, technology companies account for 17.5 percent of all the companies registered in the District, which is 3.4 times of the average ratio in Shanghai. Not only is the District accommodating a large number of digital industry leaders such as iQiyi, it has also built an industrial chain for innovative drug makers, he said.

While more innovative market entities should be attracted to the Hub, the local administrative bodies will focus on institutional breakthroughs to facilitate the deeper integration between industries, capital and talents, he said.

The framework development plan for Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub was approved by the State Council in February 2021. Reaching the north of Suzhou Industrial Park and the south of Haining of Zhejiang province, the Hub saw the combined GDP at 2.69 trillion yuan ($390 billion) in 2022, up from 2.3 trillion yuan in 2020.

During a work conference, held on Wednesday, to advance the Hub’s faster development, Shanghai’s Party Chief Chen Jining said that continued efforts should be made to coordinate technology innovation across Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu in order to promote high-level technology independence.

The cooperation in basic scientific research and projects aiming for key technology breakthroughs should be further strengthened, said Chen. Industries should be more digitalized, smarter and greener in order to build a modern industrial ecosystem, he added.

shijing@chinadaily.com.cn