Zhao Lijian Photo: VCG

China will adhere to a science and technology-driven development strategy and continue to strengthen cooperation with other countries with a more open attitude, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The remarks came after the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently released a China Innovation Index, the barometer of the country's innovation capability, which continued to climb in 2021.

The NBS data showed that the index, introduced in 2005, increased by 8 percent from 2020 levels to 264.6 last year. Total R&D expenditure rose by 14.6 percent year on year to reach around 2.8 trillion yuan ($390.53 billion), maintaining double-digit growth for six consecutive years.

The number of domestic patents granted surged 26.9 percent to nearly 4.47 million.

The data showed that China's innovation environment has significantly improved, and that innovation input and output has steadily increased, which provides strong support for the promotion of high-quality development, Zhao Lijian, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The improvement of China's scientific and technological strength will continue to contribute to the development and progress of science and technology in the world, Zhao said. 

"We have always supported scientific and technological innovation cooperation with other countries, sharing development dividends, and taking a clear stand against technological hegemony and decoupling," Zhao said.

NBS data showed that sci-tech innovation has further promoted the country's green development. Coal consumption accounted for 56 percent of the total energy consumption, edging down 0.9 percentage points, while that of clean energy rose by 1.2 percentage points to 25.5 percent, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The index readings confirm that China's innovation-driven development had seen rapid progress despite complex and challenging situations at home and abroad, said Li Yin, a statistician from the NBS, noting that it had injected strong impetus into propelling economic development. 

China will adhere to science and technology-driven development strategy and continue to strengthen innovational cooperation with other countries with a more open attitude, Zhao said. 

At present, China has established scientific and technological cooperation relations with 160 countries and regions, and signed 110 intergovernmental cooperation agreements. Innovative achievements such as high-speed rail, Juncao and vaccines have been shared with the people of the world, according to the Foreign Ministry. 

Global Times