A middle-income developing economy can actually possess innovation capabilities comparable to those of developed economies. This incredible country is China. Recently, the World Intellectual Property Organization's "Global Innovation Index () Report" showed that China ranks th in the global innovation ranking, up one place from last year, making it one of the economies with the fastest rising innovation power in years. Prior to this, the preliminary report of the World Intellectual Property Organization's "Global Innovation Index () Report" also indicated that China's global top hundred innovative technology clusters have once again ranked first for the second consecutive year.

The Chief Economist of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Carsten Fink, praised this as an outstanding achievement, stating that the report reflects the continuous growth of China's scientific and technological innovation capabilities. Data recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China shows that China's innovation capabilities are continuously improving. According to estimates, China's innovation index reached 250.8 (with 2020 as the base year), an increase of 8% over the previous year. In terms of specific areas, the innovation environment index, innovation input index, innovation output index, and innovation effectiveness index reached 249.2, 219.7, 307.6, and 187.5 respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 2.3%, 4.0%, 5.9%, and 1.7% respectively.

In the field of innovation environment, the proportion index of enterprises enjoying additional deduction tax relief increased by .% compared to the previous year; in the field of innovation investment, the full-time equivalent index of research and experimental development (R&D) personnel per 10,000 people increased by .% compared to the previous year, continuing to maintain double-digit growth; in the field of innovation output, the index of high-value invention patents owned per 10,000 R&D personnel increased by .% compared to the previous year; in the field of innovation effectiveness, the index of total labor productivity increased by .% compared to the previous year.

China's innovation capabilities are reflected in traditional business innovation. Common consumption scenarios such as leisure snacks, trendy toys, and skydiving have emerged with unique elements, as new consumption unleashes new vitality. Consumption scenarios are also constantly innovating. The old brand Beijing Daoxiangcun has adopted a "one store, one strategy" innovative business model to open new stores, introducing many new products such as baked pastries and cultural and creative products on the basis of traditional craftsmanship. Guangzhou Qian Dama Agricultural Products Co., Ltd. has integrated data across all channels, accurately conveying value information to users and pricing precisely, forming a stable competitive advantage. Personalized and customized consumption is becoming a new trend. The "Outdoor Art Season" original theme event in the autumn of Zhongliang Xiangyun Town, with public art as its core, has become a commercial benchmark where art performances and public streets are integrated.

China's innovation capabilities are reflected in the innovation of the digital economy and emerging industries. Xiaohongshu, through text, images, videos, live streaming, and other methods, has become a community platform for recording, sharing, and pursuing a better life, with over 100 million monthly active users. In the field of intelligent manufacturing, smart home device control has enhanced home technology and optimized space layout. In the field of materials science, the composite load high-temperature fatigue tester has overcome technical challenges in complex vector decoupling. In the aerospace field, the intelligent control moment gyroscope used in unmanned systems has improved the environmental adaptability of equipment. In the medical field, breakthroughs in -cell therapy based on dual-target optimization have advanced tumor treatment technology.

China's innovation capability is embodied in brand innovation. Haier's All-Space Freshness Refrigerator has achieved the technology of keeping chilled meat fresh for days. The project "Innovation and Industrialization of Temperature, Humidity, Oxygen, and Magnetic Multi-Dimensional Precision Control Technology for Household Freshness Appliances" by Haier Refrigerator won the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. The relevant international standards led by Haier Refrigerator have been adopted by multiple countries, leading the global refrigerator industry's technological upgrade. Chery Automobile, in collaboration with the Kaos Industrial Internet team, has created the "Haizhengyun" industrial internet platform for the automotive industry. This platform connects multiple parts suppliers, dealers, users, and super factories, forming a customized ecosystem. Users can customize their own new energy vehicles from Chery's super factory on this platform, realizing the customized sales model from "one car for a thousand people" to "a thousand cars for a thousand people."

China's innovation capabilities are reflected in international cooperation. At the German Nuremberg International Invention Exhibition, China showcased multiple latest technological achievements and invention ideas, with many invention results originating from Chinese universities, enterprises, and research institutions. These invention results have attracted the attention of researchers and entrepreneurs from various countries. Inventions are inseparable from cooperation, and China's technological invention and innovation results are committed to being transformed into international achievements, shared with the world. Data shows that currently, China has established scientific and technological cooperation relations with multiple countries and regions, and has signed government-level scientific and technological cooperation agreements.

In innovation, China is no longer a follower. In the first half of this year, the value-added of high-tech manufacturing above a certain scale accounted for .% of the total value-added of industries above a certain scale, an increase of . percentage points compared to the first quarter; integrated circuits, service robots, new energy vehicles, and solar cells, among other intelligent and green new products, have shown remarkable performance, with production volumes all maintaining double-digit growth. These data indicate that the quality level of China's economy has been significantly enhanced by the rapid growth of high-tech manufacturing. Bloomberg analysis predicts that the proportion of China's high-tech industry in its GDP will increase from % in 2022 to % in 2025, and with the addition of "new three types" such as new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products, this proportion will expand to % by 2025.

In innovation, China is attracting many foreign enterprises to increase investment in R&D centers in the country. According to data from China's Ministry of Commerce, from 2012 to 2021, the full-time equivalent of R&D personnel in industrial enterprises with foreign investment above a certain scale in China increased from 247,000 person-years to 462,000 person-years; the R&D expenditure of industrial enterprises with foreign investment above a certain scale in China increased from 46.8 billion yuan to 103.4 billion yuan, an increase of 121.1%. Foreign media reported that the results of R&D centers of multinational companies in China are applied to products sold all over the world, and China has gradually become a global R&D laboratory. On November 16, BMW Germany and Tsinghua University established the "Tsinghua-BMW Joint Research Institute for Sustainable Development and Mobility Innovation in China," which will focus on deepening cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, vehicle networking technology, and solid-state batteries. BMW will continue to deepen cooperation with Chinese innovation forces.

In innovation, China is making great strides towards modernization. Innovation is the core driving force of China's economic development. Over the decades, China has evolved from being capable of only primary manufacturing to now possessing world-leading manufacturing processes, all thanks to innovation. In recent years, the use of domestic intellectual property in China has increased significantly. In the past years, more and more "going global" enterprises have sought to commercialize their innovations overseas, and there have been increasing instances of seeking protection for their intellectual property abroad. Driven by technological innovation to promote industrial innovation, accelerating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into practical productive forces, vibrant innovations are leading to digital and intelligent-driven industrial upgrades. The story of China's great strides towards modernization is being told. Not dwelling on past successes, China looks to the future, intensifies innovation efforts, and continuously develops productive forces to benefit the people. This will be the key to China's modernization and success in the near future.