The Accelerating Growth of China’s Innovation Hubs
The preliminary report of the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII) highlights the rise of China’s science and technology clusters. For the second consecutive year, China boasts the largest number of clusters worldwide, with several clusters, including Shenzhen-Hong Kong Special Administrative Region-Guangzhou and Beijing, ranking among the top 10 globally. This result emphasizes China’s rapid growth in the field of science and technology and its increasing global influence.
Science and technology clusters are concentrated hubs of innovation, measured by the number of patents and research publications, and WIPO ranks them based on global activity. The current results suggest that China is likely to continue leading in international innovation in the coming years.
The Background of China’s Growth and Its Impact
The formation of China’s robust science and technology clusters is said to be driven by national policy support and massive investments. For example, Beijing’s robotics industry holds 190,000 patents, accounting for two-thirds of the world’s total. Furthermore, with 470 robots per 10,000 workers, China is swiftly strengthening its technological capabilities for next-generation industries. Notably, regions such as Shenzhen and Shanghai have become hubs where international companies establish development centers, marking a shift from “Made in China” to “Developed in China.” This demonstrates China’s emergence as a new center for technological development, surpassing its previous reputation as a low-cost production base.
China’s Position in the Global Innovation Race
What’s particularly interesting is that China’s rise has intensified competition with other advanced economies. While major innovation countries like the United States and Germany still maintain strong scientific and technological foundations, emerging economies like China are now taking leadership in innovation. This shift is reshaping the geographic distribution of global technological development, with Asia likely to become the center of world innovation in the future.
As WIPO Director General Daren Tang noted, science and technology clusters form the backbone of a nation’s innovation ecosystem. Moving forward, competition between advanced and emerging economies in innovation is expected to intensify, potentially fostering more diverse technological developments and opening pathways to new industries and future technologies.
Japan’s Challenges and Opportunities Looking to the Future
Amidst these developments, Japan faces the challenge of maintaining its prominence, with the Tokyo-Yokohama cluster ranking at the top, but the presence of other clusters seeming somewhat diminished. For Japan to continue leading in innovation, it will need new strategies for technological development, particularly to counter the rise of neighboring countries such as China and South Korea. Strengthening industry-academia collaboration and supporting startups may also be crucial.
In conclusion, the data presented by the 2024 GII highlights the global impact of China’s accelerating innovation. As global competition in science and technology intensifies, how countries leverage their clusters and strengthen their technological capabilities will be key to shaping the future.
