China's top political advisory body convened non-party intellectuals and government officials in Beijing to chart a course toward total technological self-reliance, signaling a continued push to insulate the country's tech sector from foreign sanctions and supply chain disruptions.
The consultative seminar on Sept. 21, organized by the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, focused on accelerating domestic innovation across key strategic sectors. Wang Dongfeng, vice chairman and secretary-general of the CPPCC National Committee, urged delegates to align research efforts with national priorities outlined in China's upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan. China's political leadership invited non-Communist Party intellectuals to leverage specialized academic, scientific, and private-sector expertise required to accelerate national technological self-reliance. This initiative is notable because it highlights Beijing's reliance on non-party elites to solve complex hardware and software bottlenecks, demonstrating that achieving technological autonomy requires co-opting expertise beyond traditional party cadres.
Speaking at the meeting, Wang emphasized the need to deepen structural reforms in science and technology, strengthen original innovation, and integrate education, technology, and talent development into a unified pipeline. He called for accelerating breakthroughs in digital and intelligent technologies while leveraging independent experts to convert intellectual resources into tangible technological output.
Representatives from China's Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology briefed attendees on current progress and addressed concerns raised by advisers. High-profile attendees included prominent economist and CPPCC Standing Committee member Lin Yifu, alongside fellow committee members Zhang Lianqi and Huang Yuguang.
Discussions focused on fusing technological innovation with industrial applications, merging the physical and digital economies, expanding international medical cooperation, and accelerating artificial intelligence development. The session was presided over by Gao Hongjun, vice director of the CPPCC Proposals Committee, with CPPCC Deputy Secretary-General Han Dongmei also in attendance.
