More leeway needed for creativity to flourish in China

Source:Global Times Published: 2019/7/3 18:48:40

Jean-Pierre Bourguignon Photo: Li Qiaoyi/GT



Editor's Note:

China, long known as the world's factory, has increasingly been referred to as an engine powering global technology sphere. As Jean-Pierre Bourguignon (Bourguignon), president of the European Research Council (ERC), put it, China is already a global science and technology powerhouse. 

In an exclusive interview with Global Times reporter Li Qiaoyi (GT) on Monday at the World Economic Forum's Summer Davos in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, the French mathematician called for more leeway to enable creativity to flourish in China, and advocated an open attitude toward academic exchanges to shake some suspicions surrounding the academic environment. Bourguignon chairs the organization created by the European Commission in 2007 to fund frontier research.

GT: Is China in the driver's seat when it comes to 5G and artificial intelligence (AI)? Is China already a global science and innovation powerhouse?

Bourguignon
: I think it is. We know that for AI, there are several components. Part of it is technology and software. The other part is how you implement it in society. At the moment, the way AI is used is not so visible, but people anticipate it will be increasingly visible through transportation systems and other things. 

A very important element in AI is the new approach reliant on big data, using past data to anticipate what you should be doing. From that point of view, China's huge population and well-organized systems put it in a good position to develop AI applications. At some point, the nation needs some scientists to be involved for the technology to mature further.

5G will change the approach that people are having with networks, as it will probably alter a number of things which for the moment are difficult, for example, controlling traffic and enabling a smart home makeover. 

GT: How innovative are Chinese technology companies?

Bourguignon
: I think in China and other countries there are very innovative companies and less innovative ones. Only the most innovative ones will survive and probably gain a significant part of the market. One company I've been following for some years is Huawei, because I visited some of its labs in China and I was very impressed by the quality and diversity of people they have in their labs in terms of their training and exposure to different things. I'm sure some of the leading companies will be Chinese. But there will be non-Chinese companies which is healthy for competition. 

In my own country, France, some companies are doing very well in terms of innovation, some others are much more traditional. The key point for innovation is to take risks. This depends on the environment. In France, people tend to think they are not taking enough risks and therefore they do good things, but not disruptive things. The key point for the future, I think for many companies, will be to invest enough into disruptive innovation. This is not easy, because you have to take risks. 

For the first new development, the US did fantastically well in Silicon Valley in the 1990s and at the beginning of this century. For the new wave which is coming, 5G and AI, there would be other places where this would happen. I'm sure some of them will be in China. It's almost inevitable.

GT: Both Yale and MIT presidents have recently posted open letters staking support for academic exchanges amid growing unease in the academic community over unfair suspicion. What do you think of the current academic atmosphere? 

Bourguignon
: For scientists, it's a fundamental truth that there are no borders. With the new relationship between scientific discoveries and economic development, the question of intellectual property becomes very important.

Even if you want to raise borders, it's not going to work, because for scientists, fundamentally knowledge is knowledge; it's not Chinese knowledge, American knowledge or French knowledge. It's totally normal if companies invest in developing new products, and they want rewards. It's the same with countries. The countries invest in research as they feel this will bring about some good things for their people. It could create situations of tension, but it's fundamental that we overcome this tension. I think in the end, nobody would be able to develop things for themselves, ignoring the rest. Having an open attitude toward this is fundamental for a successful future. 

GT: What are the areas for future cooperation between China and the EU in the science and technology arena?

Bourguignon
: I'm in charge of the European Research Council, which basically has no priorities. We just rely on initiatives and researchers. If you broaden this to Europe, the EU has agreed on investment in some joint projects with China. This is regularly rediscussed, and new priorities appear. Some of these relate to climate change. In the same way, food security is of great importance for both. But the areas would be regularly revised. It's not something which is frozen or decided forever. It's just evolving. 

GT: What is still missing in China's drive toward innovation?

Bourguignon
: What makes a difference is always people. Efforts are required to train the people, both in terms of knowledge and space for development. For instance, if some students have initiatives to develop new activities, they have to be encouraged and supported and have access to resources. 

This is maybe a slight change from the spontaneous culture shared by Chinese students. They must have space to develop their own ideas. I think some universities are doing that very well. This is slightly different from the tradition in China highlighting extremely respectful attitudes toward teachers. 

GT: What do you think of China's stellar performance at the International Mathematical Olympiad competitions? 

Bourguignon
: I've repeatedly seen some extremely high-level Chinese students in mathematics. Some of them are even my students. 

There are some other countries that are doing well in this regard. An example is Iran which has been producing a number of very good mathematicians. The only woman who got the Fields Medal, maths' top prize, is from Iran. I know several other Iranian women with very high level in maths. India has a tradition in mathematics. 

My discipline is not an obvious one to develop businesses. But some did it and they did it very successfully. This shows young people who can do science might do something else across the market. If they have interest and capacity to do it. It should not be compulsory and people should feel comfortable to do that. 

China's achievements in mathematical competitions can be attributed to a great tradition in the nation for knowledge, in the present generation as well as previous generations. At the same time Chinese students are extremely hard working which will help them become successful, but we should be careful to make sure students have enough room for creativity. Learning is not just about what the teacher knows; your own ideas should be respected and encouraged. The students sometimes expect too much from their teachers. Sometimes they should really take the lead themselves. 



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