Quality key to future growth: Conference

Officials, scholars and business leaders on Thursday stressed the importance of improving technology and product quality as key to achieving high-quality growth, as the country shifts from the period of high-speed development to a higher level featuring high-quality growth.

State councilor Wang Yong said quality should be a top priority. More effort should be made to improve quality management systems and strengthen supervision and punishment mechanisms in order to enhance the quality of development, he said.

Wang made the remarks at the third China Quality Conference in Shenzhen on Thursday.

Nicholas Kwan, director of research at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, said the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as one of the most open and internationalized regions in the country, can play a leading role in promoting the country's high-quality growth, taking advantage of the unique feature of "one country, two systems" in the region.

Strengthening intellectual property rights protection and technological achievement transfer is considered an important foundation for high-quality development.

Hong Kong, with a large number of sophisticated professionals offering intellectual property-related services, can use its advantages to help with the process, Kwan said.

To achieve high-quality development, enhancing efficiency is essential, noted Long Guoqiang, vice-president of the Development Research Center of the State Council.

That requires technological advancement, upgrade of management models and industrial structures, he said.

Li Dongsheng, chairman of Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd, said for manufacturing enterprises, high-quality development is to maintain competitive advantages of speed, efficiency and cost while continuously improving product technology and quality in order to forge a world-renowned brand and achieve leapfrog development.

"Quality is the lifeblood of an enterprise, and quality management is the foundation that determines whether an enterprise can survive and develop," he said.