Set up regional hubs to foster innovation-led growth

Editor's note: A clear road map for the country's economy in the next five-year plan (2026-30) period was presented at the recent Central Economic Work Conference. Wan Zhe, a researcher of the Belt and Road School at Beijing Normal University, spoke to National Business Daily on how global innovation hubs can accelerate their economic growth. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

The importance of innovation-driven development for the cultivation of new growth drivers was stressed at the Central Economic Work Conference. For that, it is essential to develop international technological innovation centers in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is a source of original innovation, where the focus is on breakthrough advances in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum information and blockchain technologies. The region's key research centers serve as demonstration clusters for innovation-driven industries, with an emphasis on basic research and tackling critical "choke point" technologies.

The Yangtze River Delta functions mainly as a hub for application-oriented innovation. The region prioritizes the industrialization of technologies in integrated circuits, biomedicine and high-end equipment manufacturing. Close integration between technological innovation, financial services and coordinated industrial chains further strengthens its role.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area acts as a cross-border collaboration hub and a cradle for emerging industries. Leveraging the institutional strengths of "one country, two systems", it focuses on the digital economy, intelligent manufacturing and new materials, promoting the deep integration of innovation resources across the region and setting benchmarks for cross-border cooperation.

It is essential to enhance the coordination among these three regions and develop "innovation enclaves". Research institutions from Beijing and Shanghai should be encouraged to set up branches in the Greater Bay Area and two-way flows of innovation resources should be facilitated. In strategic sectors such as integrated circuits and AI, regional alliances can be formed to carry out joint research and development.

There should be clearer division of labor in the innovation and industry chains. Beijing can continue to lead in basic research, Shanghai in technology transfer and intermediate development, and the Greater Bay Area in terminal industrialization and application.

Based on their respective strengths, cross-regional industrial alliances can also be built. A talent flow system, shared access to research facilities and interoperable data platforms would help break down regional barriers and make resource allocation more efficient.

It was also stressed at the Central Economic Work Conference that efforts should be made to advance the "AI Plus" initiative, improve AI governance and foster innovation in science and technology financing. Therefore, policymakers should place primary emphasis on preventing and managing security risks by building a full-process safety framework that integrates technology monitoring, early warning and emergency response alongside the establishment of AI safety assessment and market access mechanisms.

In terms of content security and labeling, traceable identification should be applied to generative AI outputs to curb the spread of false or misleading information. Clear boundaries must be set for AI research and application, supported by ethical review mechanisms for major projects to ensure that AI development remains aligned with the principle of technology serving the public good.

Data and algorithm governance should address how training data are collected and used, how data are classified and protected at different levels and how a balance can be struck between data circulation and privacy protection. Stronger oversight of cross-border data flows and deeper international cooperation are also essential. At the same time, systems for algorithmic transparency and fairness audits should be advanced to prevent algorithmic discrimination and bias.

With regard to regulation, tiered and differentiated regulatory approaches should be applied to key areas such as autonomous driving, financial services and healthcare, with clearly defined regulatory boundaries to foster a coordinated governance framework.