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Anchoring High-Tech, High-Efficiency, and High-Quality Development for New Productive Forces

New quality productivity is an advanced form of productive forces driven by revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and in-depth transformation and upgrading of industries. Compared to traditional productive forces, new quality productivity possesses higher technological levels, demonstrates greater development efficiency, and aligns more closely with the new development philosophy and the requirements for high-quality development. The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-style Modernization," reviewed and adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee, proposed to "improve the systems and mechanisms for developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions" and "develop productive forces characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality," clarifying new significant requirements for the development of productive forces in the new era and on the new journey. Building a strong material and technological foundation for Chinese-style modernization requires grasping the characteristics of high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, accelerating the development of new quality productive forces, forming new types of production relations that adapt to them, and continuously shaping new dynamics and advantages for development.

Focusing on high technology, driven by cutting-edge technological breakthroughs, science and technology are the most dynamic and revolutionary factors in economic and social development. New quality productive forces are born from revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, representing the direction and leading level of technological development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's technological innovation capabilities have significantly improved. In 2023, the total R&D expenditure in society exceeded 3.3 trillion yuan, with R&D intensity reaching 2.64%. The number of invention patent applications and international patent applications submitted through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) have been leading the world for many years. A series of major achievements have been made in manned spaceflight, quantum information, nuclear power technology, large aircraft manufacturing, and other fields. The strength of science and technology is moving from quantitative accumulation to qualitative leap, and from breakthroughs in individual points to the enhancement of systemic capabilities.

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Looking at the world economic development history since the Industrial Revolution, each leap in productive forces has been based on the breakthrough, diffusion, and widespread application of original and disruptive technologies. The industrial transformation and application of these technologies have formed advanced new labor tools, given birth to new industries and business forms, and brought about a qualitative leap in social productive forces. The new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, and the boundaries between basic research, applied research, technological development, and industrialization are becoming increasingly blurred. The chain of scientific and technological innovation is becoming more agile, with faster technological updates and transformation of results, and the pace of industrial renewal and replacement is continuously accelerating. Emerging industries formed by artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing technology, new energy technology, and others have become the commanding heights of future science and technology and industrial development. These technologies have a wide range of influence, leading to a collective technological revolution in various industries and fields characterized by green, intelligent, and ubiquitous features. At the same time, these technologies intersect and empower each other, profoundly changing the face of human society and becoming an important force in promoting economic and social development.

Focusing on high efficiency, marked by the improvement of production efficiency, new quality productive forces take the leap in laborers, means of labor, and objects of labor and their optimized combination as the basic connotation. By innovatively allocating production factors, they enhance the efficiency of factor combinations and bring about a significant increase in the level of productive forces. As China's high-quality production factors transfer from low-productivity departments and links to high-productivity, high-margin output departments and links, the unit output of various factors will significantly increase, and total factor productivity will also significantly increase. Data shows that from 2012 to 2023, China's total labor productivity increased from 72,817 yuan per person to 161,615 yuan per person, with an average annual growth rate of about 7.5%, and the overall output efficiency of the economic system has been continuously improving.

Looking back at history, each leap in the energy level of productive forces is manifested in the improvement of laborer skills, the progress of labor tools, the expansion of labor objects, and the optimization of their combination methods. Currently, digital technologies represented by the Internet, big data, and cloud computing are developing rapidly, and data has become a key new type of production factor, promoting the continuous emergence of new types of labor objects and means of labor. Under the strong empowerment of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the mode of knowledge production is undergoing significant changes, and "human + artificial intelligence" enhances the creativity, initiative, and labor efficiency of laborers. The iterative upgrading of cutting-edge technologies in the fields of new energy and new materials, as well as the emergence and widespread application of non-physical production tools such as industrial internet and industrial software, endow production and manufacturing equipment with more automation and intelligent functions, enabling them to independently complete more complex tasks in the production process. This not only helps reduce labor input and improve production continuity and stability but also, through intelligent scheduling, simulation, and prediction of production resource allocation, online testing, and achieving efficient collaboration between various business units of enterprises and enterprises in the supply chain, further optimizes enterprise resource allocation and improves operational efficiency.

Focusing on high quality, with the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure as the direction, the development of new quality productive forces means meeting the requirements of the new development philosophy, breaking away from the traditional extensive development model, and promoting in-depth transformation and upgrading of industries. In recent years, China's strategic emerging industries have shown a rapid growth momentum, and the scale and technological level of the digital economy have entered the forefront of the world. New energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products have become highlights of exports. As of the end of December 2023, the national two-integration public service platform has served 183,000 industrial enterprises, cultivated 421 national demonstration factories, and more than 10,000 provincial digital workshops and intelligent factories, with the number of "lighthouse factories" accounting for 40% of the global total. Under the empowerment of digital technology, the development mode of traditional industries that are low-end, low-efficiency, high-energy consumption, and high-emission is undergoing transformation, showing new vitality.

From the perspective of past technological revolutions and industrial transformations, each significant leap in productive forces has given birth to a batch of new industries, leading to the replacement of leading and pillar industries. New general-purpose technologies will empower traditional industries, promoting the overall improvement of the technological level of the economic system and the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure. As a typical general-purpose technology, the deep integration of digital technology with traditional industries can optimize production processes, improve production technologies, increase product functions, and expand value-added services. It plays an important role in improving product quality, reducing energy consumption and emissions, lowering production costs, and enhancing supply chain response speed, promoting the industry to develop in a direction of higher levels, higher added value, and greener and lower carbon. Green development is the foundation of high-quality development, and new quality productive forces are inherently green productive forces, characterized by environmental friendliness and green and low-carbon features. New technologies and industries such as energy conservation and environmental protection, new energy, and low carbon can promote the technological transformation, process and equipment upgrading of the entire national economy, achieving clean production processes, circular resource utilization, low-carbon energy consumption, and green product supply, promoting the green transformation of industrial structure and energy structure, and thus promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development.Forming New Production Relations Adapted to New Quality Productive Forces

To accelerate the development of productive forces characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, it is essential to further comprehensively deepen reforms and establish and perfect new production relations that are adapted to them. First, it is necessary to establish and improve systems and mechanisms that support original and disruptive innovation. By adhering to a combination of target orientation and free exploration, continuously improving the diversified investment mechanisms for basic research and applied basic research, and supporting the exploration of multiple technological routes; enhancing the autonomy of innovative talents in decision-making and management of original and disruptive technological innovation, efforts should be made to create an environment that advocates innovation, tolerates failure, and encourages in-depth research. Second, it is important to improve the system for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Encouraging cooperation between governments, enterprises, and research institutions to jointly build a batch of open platforms for scientific and technological achievement transformation, such as concept verification, pilot ripening, and small batch trial production, to bridge the "first mile" and "last mile" of technology transformation. Strengthen financial support for the transformation of scientific and technological innovation achievements through the guidance fund, risk compensation funds, concept verification funds, seed funds, etc., and improve financial support models that adapt to the laws of technology transformation at different types and stages. Strengthen the construction of channels for technology supply and demand platforms, actively play the role of technology intermediary institutions as a bridge and link, and enable in-depth docking between entrepreneurs and scientists. Third, it is necessary to improve the systems and mechanisms for the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries, accelerate the integration and innovation of new technologies with traditional manufacturing, support the digitalization, greening, and service transformation and upgrading of enterprises, and shape new competitive advantages.

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