Commentary: Openness, sci-tech cooperation key to overcoming global challenges

BEIJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The opening of the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) highlights China's firm resolve and concrete actions to sharpen its capabilities in science and technology innovation and enhance openness and cooperation to tackle global challenges.

Speaking via video at the opening ceremony of the event, Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that nowadays profound changes unseen in a century are evolving rapidly in the world and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been far-reaching, posing severe challenges to the global economic recovery. All countries need to strengthen openness and deepen cooperation in science and technology, explore ways and means of jointly solving important global issues through sci-tech innovation, address the challenges of the times together, and promote the noble cause of peace and development for all.

Zhongguancun (ZGC), an embodiment of China's innovation-driven growth, shoulders a significant mission in pursuing national technological advancement. Since its inception in 2007, the ZGC Forum has become a global, comprehensive and open high-end international forum for sci-tech innovation.

It is evident that China boosts development through innovation, constantly explores new technologies, new industries and new forms of business, and seeks and shares new growth drivers with other countries by promoting international innovation and cooperation.

In recent years, China's sci-tech strength has taken a qualitative leap in various fields. Just a week ago, three "taikonauts" of the Shenzhou-12 manned space returned to Earth after their three-month space mission. China's first student powered by artificial intelligence (AI) has appeared at Tsinghua University. The AI student is not only lifelike in appearance and speaks like humans, but is also expected to keep learning and think like humans.

China's development in science and technology is not exclusive. China has been striving to strengthen international sci-tech cooperation that is open, inclusive and beneficial to all.

For example, China has actively cooperated with the world in lunar exploration, Mars probe and satellite projects. It has pledged to make its space station an open platform for international cooperation. A total of 17 countries will participate in the experiments aboard China's space station, covering aerospace medicine, life sciences and biotechnology, and astronomy.

China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) has been available for scientists worldwide since April 1. So far, the FAST has helped scientists discover almost 400 pulsars, two times the pulsars discovered by other telescopes during the same period.

China has also collaborated with many countries in the research and development (R&D) and production of COVID-19 vaccines. China's vaccines have helped save lives in more than 100 countries, making contributions to global solidarity in the fight against the pandemic.

The history of human society is marked by a transition from isolation and exclusion to openness and integration, which is an unstoppable trend of the world.

As China increasingly integrates itself into the international innovation landscape, the country's technological development will become an even more important engine for global innovation.