The Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development explicitly stresses the need to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and steer the development of new quality productive forces. Many scholars view making the development of new quality productive forces a core strategy during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (FYP, 2026–30) as a way to promote China’s economic transformation from quantitative accumulation to qualitative improvement—an important step in responding to mounting challenges and laying the groundwork for a prosperous future.

Exploring effective practical models

Looking back at the 14th FYP period (2021–25), China’s efforts in scientific and technological innovation produced a series of notable outcomes. In 2024, total research and development expenditure nationwide exceeded 500 billion US dollars, ranking second globally. The number of Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patent applications surpassed 70,000, leading the world for six consecutive years, while the number of high-tech enterprises rose to 463,000. China also continued to host the largest number of global top 100 science and technology clusters, with the Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou cluster rising to first place worldwide.

As the 15th FYP period begins, technological revolution and industrial transformation are accelerating, and achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology has become an increasingly important prerequisite for the sustained development of new quality productive forces. Chen Qiang, a professor at the School of Economics and Management at Tongji University, has suggested actively exploring models and mechanisms that can more efficiently concentrate high-level innovative resources in key technological and industrial fields during the 15th FYP period.

Qiu Haiping, a professor at the School of Economics at Renmin University of China, explained that the development of new quality productive forces is expected to drive a shift in the economic growth model—from factor-driven to innovation-driven, and from an emphasis on scale and speed to an emphasis on quality and efficiency—thereby facilitating diversified industrial upgrading and the modernization of the industrial system.

The development of new quality productive forces does not imply sidelining traditional industries. Wang Jiankang, vice president of the Shaanxi Academy of Social Sciences, emphasized that traditional industries and new quality productive forces can mutually reinforce one another, dynamically integrate, and evolve in tandem, jointly guiding industrial chains toward higher-end, smarter, and greener development.

Fully integrating technological and industrial innovation

The Recommendations emphasizes “promoting full integration between technological and industrial innovation.” At present, persistent weaknesses and multiple obstacles in the stages of emergence and industrialization of scientific and technological achievements continue to constrain the efficiency of their transformation. In response, Jin Dawei, dean of the School of Information Engineering at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, suggested focusing on the development of a full-chain support system encompassing basic research, concept validation, pilot-scale testing, and industrialization, with the aim of reducing transformation risks and improving overall efficiency.

The Recommendations also calls for “promoting advances in original innovation and breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields.” Yao Yuchun, deputy Party secretary of Jilin University, underscored the importance of strengthening collaborative platforms such as national laboratories and industrial innovation centers, fueling the formation of innovation consortia among research institutions, universities, and enterprises that share risks, benefits, and complementary roles.

Chen highlighted the need to make coordinated efforts in team building, funding allocation, platform development, and infrastructure construction in order to improve the foundational conditions for original innovation. At the same time, he stressed, it is crucial to deepen reforms of evaluation systems and cultivate a social and cultural environment that tolerates failure, encourages sustained research, values excellence, and is conducive to original innovation.

Balancing development and security

The development of new quality productive forces requires creating production relations that are better aligned with evolving needs. Li Zheng, dean of the School of Economics at Liaoning University, emphasized the importance of fully activating the motivation and vitality of innovation actors, including researchers, market participants, entrepreneurs, scientists, and management professionals. Through institutional reform, he argued, a more effective alignment between an active government and a well-functioning market can be achieved.

Yang Ying, president of the Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, observed that regions should proceed from their own foundations and conditions, cultivating development paths for new quality productive forces that are distinctive and complementary, and thereby avoiding homogenized, low-level competition.

Security remains a prerequisite for development, just as development is a guarantee of security. Li argued that security considerations should be incorporated into every aspect of scientific and technological innovation, strengthening the material and technological underpinnings of national security through higher-quality development, while ensuring steady and sustainable progress through higher-level security.

Li Yongjie, Lu Hang, Ming Haiying, Zha Jianguo, and Chen Lian contributed to this story.