Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei sci-tech innovation embarks on a new drive

Zhongguancun in Beijing is abuzz with innovation, pulsing with the momentum of high-quality development. Accounting for less than four percent of the city's total area, the innovation hub contributes approximately one-third of Beijing's gross regional product.

Cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements are emerging at an accelerated pace and the momentum for innovation continues to rise. More than 200 domestically developed large language models have been nurtured here, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the national total. Breakthroughs continue to be made in frontier tech fields such as quantum science and artificial intelligence.

Innovation entities are thriving with robust vitality. More than 90 unicorn enterprises have emerged from this area, becoming a new driving force for industrial upgrading. In 2025, the total revenue of Zhongguancun-based enterprises is expected to exceed the 10-trillion-yuan mark for the first time, fully demonstrating the leading role of this innovation highland.

General Secretary and President Xi Jinping has always cared about the development of Zhongguancun. In September 2013, the Political Bureau of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held its first collective study session outside Zhongnanhai, moving the "classroom" to Zhongguancun. Xi emphasized that innovation-driven development represents an irresistible trend and called for an early shift to an innovation-driven development track to fully unleash the potential of scientific and technological innovation.

Yang Pu, member of the Party Leadership Group and deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Zhongguancun Administrative Committee, stated: "During that collective study session, Xi instructed Zhongguancun to accelerate its march toward becoming a globally influential sci-tech innovation hub. He put forward three imperatives: 'We must not wait, we must not stand idly by, and we must not slack off.' These words urge and encourage us to firmly seize and make the most of the opportunities presented by the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. The guiding principles of Xi's series of instructions have pointed out the direction for Beijing's sci-tech innovation and Zhongguancun's development, and secured the strategic initiative for us." 

Entering the 14th Five-Year Plan period, based on innovation-led development and the coordinated development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, Xi emphasized that Beijing should integrate its strengths in sci-tech innovation with Tianjin’s advantages in advanced manufacturing and R&D, drive eligible regions in Hebei to better absorb technological spillover effects and undertake industrial transfers from Beijing and Tianjin, thus charting a practical path for the three regions to jointly build a highland of sci-tech innovation.

Following this blueprint laid out by Xi, Beijing is making all-out efforts to advance sci-tech innovation. The role of Beijing as a source of sci-tech innovation is being continuously strengthened, and solid strides are being made toward achieving high-level technological self-reliance and self-improvement. 

In the Huairou Science City of Beijing, the High Energy Photon Source is about to commence its trial operation, while 29 scientific facility platforms have already entered the research phase. The area has become one of the regions worldwide with the highest concentration of major national scientific and technological infrastructure. 

To bolster national strategic sci-tech strength, Beijing has launched a layout of 145 national key laboratories and 10 new-type research institutions, with its R&D expenditure intensity remaining stable at around six percent. According to the 2025 International Science and Technology Innovation Center Index released recently, Beijing claimed the top spot globally in the "Science Center" dimension, firmly establishing itself at the forefront of world science and as a highland for gathering global innovation resources. 

With sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation deeply integrated, Beijing has now formed three trillion-yuan industrial clusters – covering next-generation information technology, sci-tech services and medical and health care – as well as seven hundred-billion-yuan clusters including intelligent manufacturing and equipment, and artificial intelligence. In the first 11 months of the year, the output value of Beijing's above-scale industrial strategic emerging industries surged by 16.5 percent year on year. 

As the "leading goose" of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei innovation matrix, Beijing continues to drive the high-quality and efficient development of regional innovation by virtue of its robust technology spillover and resource radiation effects. At the Zhongguancun Science Park in Xiong'an New Area, 11 Beijing-based platforms covering sci-tech, finance and industrial research have been integrated into a one-stop service system, enabling enterprises to access high-quality sci-tech innovation resources without leaving the new area. 

So far, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei have jointly funded over 220 basic research cooperation projects and established innovation consortiums to pool synergies. In-depth cross-regional industrial collaboration has been advanced, fueling the vigorous growth of new productive forces. 

The intelligent connected vehicle industry has formed a "one-hour supporting circle", where over 300 key component enterprises across Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei have been seamlessly integrated into the supply chain. It has become a norm for auto parts to be delivered the afternoon after an order is placed in the morning. 

Currently, the number of national-level advanced manufacturing clusters in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has increased to seven, five of which are co-built by the three regions. A coordinated pattern featuring "R&D in Beijing, transformation in Tianjin and Hebei" is taking shape. 

At the recently concluded Central Economic Work Conference, the CPC Central Committee unveiled a new major deployment centering on "upholding innovation-driven development and accelerating the cultivation and expansion of new growth drivers." It also decided to expand the scope of the Beijing International Science and Technology Innovation Center to cover the entire Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. 

Wan Zhe, professor at Beijing Normal University, commented: "The expansion of the Beijing International Science and Technology Innovation Center is a major strategic initiative personally designed, deployed and advanced by President Xi Jinping. It also marks a new phase in China’s sci-tech innovation strategy – shifting from individual breakthroughs to a regional integrated collaborative approach. As an upgrade of national strategy, it injects strong impetus into accelerating the development of China’s primary source of original innovation and forging a strategic pillar for building a world-leading sci-tech power."

Xi pointed out: "We should accelerate the construction of the Beijing International Science and Technology Innovation Center and a highland for high-caliber talents, and strive to build it into an important source of independent innovation and a primary hub for original innovation in China."

In implementing the guiding principles of Xi's important instructions, Beijing has made every effort to advance the development of the International Science and Technology Innovation Center. It has given full play to its role as a source of sci-tech innovation, strengthened coordination and pooled synergies with Tianjin and Hebei, driving the continuous improvement of sci-tech innovation capacity across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Standing at a new historical starting point, Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are firmly aligned with national strategic plans. They are pooling strength through collaboration and drawing a blueprint with innovation, moving forward toward the goal of building a brand-new international sci-tech innovation center.

(Cover via VCG)