China Aims for Self Sufficiency in Emerging Tech, AI, Big Data

The Chinese government has pledged to keep striving to become self-sufficient in emerging technologies such as quantum computing.

Beijing’s latest work report, unveiled at the National People’s Congress on Tuesday, said it would also boost its efforts in big data and artificial intelligence (AI).

It plans launch an AI-plus initiative and intends to launch a number of major science and technology programmes to meet major strategic and industrial development goals, the report said.

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“We will fully leverage the strengths of the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide to raise China’s capacity for innovation across the board,” the report said.

Beijing has in recent years made achieving technological self sufficiency a priority, hit hard by trade tensions with the United States which has restricted exports of chips and some other components to China.

It has said it wants to improve national security and economic resilience by nurturing domestic innovation capabilities and lessening dependence on foreign suppliers, and has increasingly emphasized the role of the government in directing resources to help achieve this goal.

Since last year, the ruling Communist party has been granted more power in making tech-related policies, part of a bigger government restructuring.

The country will also nurture more first-class scientists and innovation teams and improve mechanisms for identifying and nurturing top-tier innovators, the report said.