By Hua Ruoyun, China Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD)

Research Report, No.28, 2019 (Total 5528) 2019-3-8

Abstract: The 19th CPC National Congress proposes that China’s economy has shifted from a high-speed development stage to a high-quality development one. As the marginal effect exerted by traditional production factors in fueling the economic growth is phasing out, efforts need to focus on cultivating innovation-oriented new driving forces for economic growth. Based on in-depth research on hi-tech zones in the aspects of administration, business environment and corporate operation, this paper illustrates the following problems hindering hi-tech zones’ transformation towards high-quality development. Although the input of production factors has continued to increase on a large scale, the performance of economic development is non-smooth, the internal motivation of enterprises is insufficient and the application of scientific and technological achievements is still inappropriate, all of which have blocked the transformation toward high-quality development. Besides, the new industrial revolution is changing the roadmap of innovation technology and international competition landscape, environment uncertainties are increasing and information amount and interchange frequency are growing. These factors require us to lay more emphasis on industrial development in a systematic and dynamic mood. In light of the most advanced research theory on innovation in the world, this paper proposes that to build an innovation-oriented ecosystem is an inevitable choice for hi-tech zones to improve their innovation performance and achieve high-quality development. It sets forth the general principle and specific measures for building an innovation-oriented ecosystem such as taking enterprises as the principal entities for making innovations, converging various industrial sectors in the hi-tech zones to form related industrial chains, setting up relevant network structure to link up industrial entities to cultivate an ecosystem for co-existence, and establishing a platform mechanism to promote information interchange and common sharing so as to build an effective and innovation-oriented ecosystem.

Key words: an innovation-oriented ecosystem, high-quality development, hi-tech zones