Russia upgrades innovation links with China

China is focusing on its innovation-driven development strategy, and will maintain the high level of cooperation in the field of high-tech industry with Russia, senior officials said during the second China-Russian Innovation Talk on Tuesday in Moscow.

The talk, established in 2017, aims at expanding cooperation among medium and small-sized companies and capital markets in both countries.

Zhang Jianguo, deputy minister of science and technology of China, said the partnership on technological innovation is a key part of the Sino-Russian comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, as well as the main component in practical cooperation between China's Belt and Road Initiative and Russia's Eurasian Economic Union.

China and Russia have jointly built such technology research facilities as the China-Russia High-tech and Production Center in Shandong province, China-Russia Juhua Techpark in Zhejiang province, and China-Russian Friendship Techpark in Moscow, according to Zhang.

He said the two countries will work out an innovation cooperation plan for the next five years and start working on the establishment of the China-Russia Joint Technology Innovation Foundation.

Sergey Gorkov, Russia's deputy minister of economic development, said the two countries have gained abundant experience on cooperation among high-tech parks.

He said his government will continue to provide policy support to Chinese companies to attract more of them to Russia.

China and Russia have cooperated in the technology field for decades, said Cheng Jiayi, director of international cooperation department at Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Cheng said previous generations of Chinese experts have an attachment to Russia because some of them studied in the country or had worked with Russian experts in China.

The academy has signed agreements with the Russian Academy of Engineering, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences and Russian Union of Engineers for technology cooperation.

Yury Saprikin, vice-president for regional and international development of the Skolkovo Foundation, said the foundation's high-tech park has close connections with its counterparts in Beijing, Xi'an and Chengdu.

Saprikin noted China has gained high growth in the artificial intelligence field, and a dozen AI companies in Skolkovo Park are looking for collaboration with Chinese firms.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/17/2018 page11)