By He Yin, People’s Daily
At the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, Spain, Chinese companies captured global attention with a wave of cutting-edge innovations. From the world’s first robot phone and lip-reading AI glasses to adorable AI companions for emotional support, these bold and futuristic products left global media calling them game-changing.
Connecting China’s “two sessions,” the annual meetings of China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress (NPC), and top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, with the international stage in Barcelona, these concurrent events vividly illustrate the vibrant dynamism of an innovative China.
The Economist Intelligence Unit, affiliated with the The Economist, noted in its analysis that China’s new five-year plan is more proactive, focusing on breakthroughs in key technologies and accelerating the deep integration of science, technology, and industry.
Why do international observers perceive China’s pace of technological innovation as “proactive”?
From the perspective of modernization, scientific and technological innovation provides crucial support for China’s advancement. China consistently holds that science and technology are the primary productive forces and innovation the primary driving force. By fostering the development of new quality productive forces, the country has effectively enhanced overall social productivity.
A key driver of China’s rapid technological advancement is its approach of promoting innovation through practical application and nurturing momentum via real-world scenarios.
During the “two sessions” meetings, foreign journalists utilized Chinese AI glasses for tasks such as translation and photography, praising the technology for making communication more efficient.
Examples abound: robots automating tasks in factories, robotic dogs aiding agricultural work in rural areas, brain-computer interface technologies offering “digital hands” to paralyzed patients, and AI-powered cognitive screening protecting the cognitive health of the elderly. China’s vast “innovation testing ground” allows frontier technologies to be repeatedly tested and refined in real-world settings, continuously transforming them into powerful momentum for high-quality development.
The draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) provides a new blueprint for scientific and technological innovation.
It proposes that nationwide spending on research and development should grow by more than 7 percent annually. It also outlines 28 major initiatives focused on enhancing the foundations and competitiveness of industry, fostering emerging industries and new development tracks, advancing frontier technologies, and strengthening the fundamental capacity for innovation.
With forward-looking strategic planning and seamless alignment between the innovation chain and the industrial chain, China’s blueprint for driving the development of new quality productive forces through technological innovation is clear and full of promise.
From the perspective of the two overall domestic and international situations, responding to risks and challenges also requires technological innovation.
Today, the international landscape is undergoing changes of a depth rarely seen in history, and the intensity of turbulence has become more pronounced. China’s development stands at a stage where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges, while uncertainties and unpredictable factors are increasing. Only by taking the lead in scientific and technological innovation can the country firmly grasp the initiative in development.
Over the past year, China has made new breakthroughs in independent chip development; the country’s first asteroid sample-return mission Tianwen‑2 has begun its work to explore asteroids; the large-scale application of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System has been comprehensively expanded; construction has begun on the hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River; and the domestically built electromagnetic catapult-equipped aircraft carrier, the Fujian, has officially entered service.
These achievements demonstrate that enhanced science and technology capabilities strengthen China’s resilience under pressure, while vibrant innovation bolsters the country’s adaptability. Scientific and technological innovation has become a powerful source of China’s resilience.
In the world today, coping with uncertainty and strengthening development resilience is a shared task for all. China’s continuous progress in scientific and technological innovation is creating new space for international cooperation.
Recently, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited Chinese technology companies during his visit to China and remarked that China has once again proved itself indispensable. This is also the shared judgment of businesses around the world.
German manufacturer of rolling element bearings Schaeffler Group recently announced an additional investment of 1 billion yuan (nearly $145 million) in Taicang, east China’s Jiangsu province, to build a digital and intelligent factory for humanoid robots, targeting the wave of intelligent transformation in the automotive industry.
Meanwhile, science-led biopharmaceutical business AstraZeneca from the UK has announced cooperation with Chinese partners to develop new treatments for metabolic diseases using AI technology.
Each story of such “two-way engagement” nurtures new solutions for global industrial upgrading. A report by NBC News concluded that China’s innovation and development will be a blessing for the world.
From China’s pace of scientific and technological progress, the world senses the firm confidence of the Chinese economy as it moves forward through challenges and sees broad opportunities for upgrading mutually beneficial cooperation.
As the 15th Five-Year Plan period begins, China will continue to join hands with countries around the world in pursuing scientific and technological progress, using innovation-driven cooperation to bring greater certainty and positive energy to global development.
