What’s new: President Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of sci-tech innovation in ensuring national security and military preparedness, in a drive to enhance the country’s “strategic capabilities in emerging fields,” state media reported.
During a meeting with a delegation from the People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Armed Police Force on Thursday, Xi emphasized the need for coordinating military preparations at sea, advancing the construction of the country’s space systems and building a cyberspace defense system.
“[We should] vigorously promote independent and original innovation and foster growth drivers of new productive forces and new combat capabilities,” Xi said, according to a report from state broadcaster CCTV.
During the meeting, military representatives shared their views on ways to improve maritime situational awareness, enhance cyberspace defense capabilities, advance artificial intelligence (AI) applications and utilize unmanned combat forces.
The background: The “strategic capabilities in emerging fields” stem from the innovation and application of science and technology, Xi said during the meeting, noting opportunities provided by a prioritized development of new productive forces in building such competencies.
China has put an emphasize on “new quality productive forces” such as big data and AI to modernize its industrial system, with the country’s annual policy report published this week underscoring the importance of electric cars and other new growth drivers for the economy.
Contact reporter Kelly Wang (jingzhewang@caixin.com)
