China to allow bigger space for academic innovation

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Universities and research institutes are a significant force in China's innovation-driven development strategy, according to a statement issued after the seventh meeting of the central committee for deepening overall reform, emphasizing the necessity of giving academic institutions more freedom.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over the meeting on Tuesday and delivered a speech.

President Xi, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the central committee for deepening overall reform, said many major reforms have currently entered the critical stage of implementation. The tougher the tasks are, the more determined people should be about their way forward and deliver substantial outcomes, noted Xi.

He also urged the committee to address formalism at the grass-roots level through reforms, saying the strengthening of people's sense of gain, happiness and security should be prioritized.

Attendees of the meeting also agreed that there should be more integration between artificial intelligence (AI) and the real economy. The development of the new-generation AI should be market-oriented, leaders at the meeting agreed, calling for innovative methods to better implement research results, and build a smart mode of economy.

The future development of China's western regions was another focus of the meeting, at which the importance of ecological protection in the areas was stressed.

Lanzhou-Chongqing railway, a major railway connecting Lanzhou City in northwest China's Gansu Province with the southwestern Chongqing Municipality, fully opens to traffic, September 29, 2017. /VCG Photo

The statement also urged that infrastructure facilities should be further strengthened under the Belt and Road Initiative. Quality development in west China should gain more attention to boost the coordination between economic and social advancement and the regions' population, resources and environment, according to the statement.

The meeting also called for improvement to better feed the growing needs of legal services for the general public.

The meeting also touched upon topics including the governance of the countryside, trading platforms for public resources, and the management of oil and natural gas networks.

Documents regarding the development of all the above-mentioned fields were passed at the meeting.

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, with President Xi vowing on many occasions to continue to carry forward the cause.