Gao Feng: Friends from the media, good morning. Welcome to the MOFCOM special press conference.

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore this year, we are also honoring the 10th anniversary of China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (CSGKC), and the second anniversary of its upgrading to a state-level bilateral cooperation project. With written approval of the State Council, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and Guangdong Provincial People’s Government have published the Master Plan for China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (2020–2035). To help you better understand the Master Plan, Mr. Peng Gang, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of MOFCOM, Mr. Chen Zhiying, member of the Standing Committee of CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor of Guangzhou, Mr. Chen Yuehua. Deputy Director-General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, and Mr. Chen Yong, Chief Executive of the District Government of Huangpu, Guangzhou and Executive Deputy Director of CSGKC Administrative Committee will join us to brief you on the Master Plan and answer your questions. I am Gao Feng, moderator of today’s press conference, and Deputy Director of the General Office and spokesperson of MOFCOM.

The four speakers will first brief you on CSGKC. Later on, they will take your questions. First, I’d like to invite Mr. Peng Gang for the introduction.

Peng Gang: Friends from the media, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

Welcome to the special press conference for CSGKC. First. on behalf of MOFCOM, I would like to thank all friends for your care and support for the development of CSGKC.

Developing CSGKC is an important agreement between Chinese and Singaporean leaders. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore. Guided by our leaders, our economic and trade relations has deepened over the past three decades. Inter-governmental flagship projects including Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-city, and Chongqing Connectivity Initiative have, with their remarkable outcomes, played a positive and exemplar role. It is in this context that CSGKC, on the basis of prior China-Singapore cooperation, was promoted to a state-level bilateral cooperation project in November 2018. Since then, it has become a new highlight in China-Singapore Belt and Road cooperation and a new platform for Singapore to participate in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

During President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s meeting on the sidelines of April 2018’s Boao Forum for Asia, President Xi stressed that the project “should focus on policy support and innovation-driven development in the next step.” As CSGKC’s leading department on the Chinese side, MOFCOM has followed through with President Xi’s import instructions. Working with Guangdong Province and other relevant State Council departments, we have enhanced coordination with Singapore to create new models, expand scopes, and enrich the content of our cooperation in CSGKC. This year, we will conclude the first decade of CSGKC’s development and the first two years of its promotion to a state-level project. Not long ago, the State Council presented a written approval of the Master Plan for China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (2020–2035), co-compiled by MOFCOM and Guangdong Provincial People’s Government. This decision fully reflects the commitment and attention of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to CSGKC cooperation and boosts our confidence in its future development.

As the world is facing changes unseen in a century, and as China is embarking on a new journey towards a modern, socialist country in all respects, this Master Plan is more significant and relevant than ever.

First, it embodies efforts to carry out the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and foster a new development paradigm at a faster pace. Huangpu District is home to both CSGKC and the “ancient ports” and “prosperous ports” that General Secretary Xi Jinping mentioned at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. It is also the place where reform and opening-up started in Guangzhou. Following the trails of our pioneers, China and Singapore has given full play to our comparative strengths and pursued knowledge-driven development and a future created by science and technology in building a state-level bilateral cooperation project and international platform for knowledge-based innovation. CSGKC will effectively underpin the BRI, high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area, and a new development paradigm with domestic cycle as the mainstay and domestic and international cycles reinforcing each other.

Second, it meets the requirements for deepening all-round international industrial cooperation and high-level opening-up. In the past few years, China and Singapore has explored cooperation in areas such as sci-tech innovation, high-end manufacturing, artificial intelligence, intellectual property, and smart cities, resulting in a series of demonstration projects with increasing agglomeration effect for innovation and creativity. Starting from China-Singapore bilateral cooperation, CSGKC has gained access to global innovation resources and integrated itself into the international innovation network. This meets the requirement for the in-depth development of high-level opening-up in the new era, and paves a new way for innovation-driven development.

Third, it is an effective measure to optimize the input-output mix of science and technology and drive high-quality development. The Master Plan proposes a “4+1” strategic positioning for CSGKC, namely as a national knowledge center of global influence, a new high ground of knowledge-based innovation, a free hub for international talents, a source of innovation for the Greater Bay Area, and a demonstration zone for open cooperation. In the future, CSGCK will be a pioneer in terms of knowledge-driven, innovation-led, talent-intensive, and advanced technology-based development. It will incubate systematic and institutional innovations, foster an optimized business environment, and become a center of joint regional effort for high-quality development, starting from coordinated development between China and Singapore and across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao area.

As the main drafting department of the Master Plan and Chinese leading department of relevant coordinating mechanisms for bilateral cooperation, MOFCOM will continue to support the development of CSGKC. In the spirit of the comments of the State Council, we will work with relevant State Council departments, Guangdong Province and Guangzhou Municipality to better analyze, supervise and instruct the implementation of the Master Plan. We will identify new dynamics, solve new problems and summarize new progress while enhancing communication and coordination with Singapore, so as to set off CSGKC cooperation at a higher starting point, towards a higher level, and up to higher standards, and inject new momentum into the all-round cooperation partnership progressing with the times between China and Singapore.

Thank you.

Gao Feng: Thank you, Mr. Peng Gang. Next, Mr. Chen Zhiying, Member of the Standing Committee of Guangzhou CPC Committee and Executive Deputy Mayor of Guangzhou Municipality will give a briefing.

Chen Zhiying: Honorable DG Peng Gang, DDG Gao Feng,

Dear leaders, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Singapore and the 10th anniversary of the development of the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, we are very touched and encouraged by the active participation of government leaders, renowned business leaders, experts and scholars, and friends from the media in providing advice and suggestions on the development of Guangzhou and the development of the Knowledge City. The Ministry of Commerce, as the lead on the Chinese side, has upgraded the City to a national-level bilateral cooperation project and, with the strong support of various ministries and commissions, has jointly prepared a master development plan for the City to 2035 in collaboration with Guangdong Province. On behalf of the Guangzhou Municipal Government, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the leaders at all levels, Chinese and foreign enterprises and people from all walks of life who have shown their concern and support for Guangzhou and the development of the Knowledge City.

The Knowledge City is a high point of cooperation between China and Singapore. General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally promoted the upgrading of the Knowledge City to a bilateral project between China and Singapore at the national level, and the State Council has approved the master development plan for the Knowledge City for the period up to 2035. The Knowledge City has formed a multi-level China-Singapore working connection mechanism and organizational structure, signed 59 cooperation projects, and made continuous progress in the construction of key projects such as the China-Singapore International Science and Technology Innovation Demonstration Zone and the Ascendas OneHub GKC.

The Knowledge City is a high ground for strategic development. The ancient port of Huangpu by the Knowledge City records the history of Guangzhou's ancestors in pioneering the Maritime Silk Road and linking global trade networks. Riding on the winds of the "Belt and Road" initiative, the Knowledge City has made new strides in opening up and development, with global economic and trade ties becoming more extensive and close. Bilateral cooperation projects between China and Singapore, China and the UK, and China and the EU are settling in, with 165 major projects introduced, including Lonza of Awitzerland, CanSemi, BioGene and InnoCare Pharma. Just this year alone, three agreement signing and work commencement sessions saw the launch of 135 major projects such as Baidu Apollo auto-driving and smart cars, with total project investment exceeding RMB 170 billion.

The Knowledge City is a highland of innovation and creativity. The Knowledge City is located at the top of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and is an important node in the construction of the Guangdong-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Science and Technology Innovation Corridor. It has been approved as the only national comprehensive reform and pilot area for intellectual property rights application and protection, and is home to more than 100 institutions, including the China (Guangdong) Intellectual Property Protection Center. By 2022, the intensity of R&D investment in science and technology in the Knowledge City will reach 4.5% and the number of invention patents per 10,000 people will exceed 100, reaching an internationally advanced level.

The Knowledge City is an ideal place to live and work in. The transportation framework of "8 rail transit lines + 5 expressways + 7 urban expressways" is basically completed. High-quality educational institutions such as the Affiliated High School of South China Normal University, Guangzhou Experimental High School and Hwa Chong Institution of Singapore have settled in the city, and the construction of a number of high-level medical facilities such as the Southern Hospital and the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Center of CUHK has been accelerated. A quality city with "mountains, water and scenery, production and living with ecology" is rapidly taking shape.

In the future, Guangzhou will study and implement the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, the important speeches and instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the inspection of Guangdong, firmly implement the new development concept, closely promote high-quality development, build a new development pattern, seize the historical opportunities of the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the construction of the "Belt and Road". The construction of the Knowledge City will be placed in a prominent position to realize the new vitality of the old city and the "four new and brilliant" initiative, focus on strengthening the construction of strategic scientific and technological power, promote creative and leading reforms, build a new system of higher level open economy, and win the key battles for an advanced industrial base and modernized industrial chain to set the stage for the City’s next golden decade of quantum leap development. We welcome enterprises from all over the world to invest in the Knowledge City and share the huge dividends of the synergetic national strategies. Thank you all.

Gao Feng: Thank you, Mr. Chen Zhiying. Next, let’s hear from Mr. Chen Yuehua, DDG of Commerce of Guangdong Province.

Chen Yuehua: DG Peng Gang, DDG Gao Feng, Officials, Members of the Press, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning. At the 2nd anniversary of Guangzhou Knowledge City’s elevation to a national bilateral cooperation program and with the development of the GBA in full swing, the Knowledge City has hit another significant milestone in its development. On August 26, the "China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Master Development Plan (2020-2035)" was approved by the State Council for implementation, which fully reflects the commitment of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to the development of the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City. Today, we are holding the special press conference on Guangzhou Knowledge City. On behalf of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of Commerce and the relevant ministries and commissions for the great attention and support they have always given to the development of the Guangzhou Knowledge City. A warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to all the officials, media and friends for coming.

Reform and opening up never stop. In recent years, under the care and strong support of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and relevant ministries and commissions, as well as the great attention and promotion of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and the provincial government, the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City has made new breakthroughs in deepening reform and opening up. In particular, in 2018, under the personal attention of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City was upgraded to a national-level bilateral cooperation project. In 2019, the Outline of the Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao explicitly included the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City in the construction of a major innovation carrier. On August 26 this year, the State Council also approved the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Master Development Plan (2020-2035), giving the Knowledge City the historical responsibility of deepening reform and early and pilot implementation, and giving strong impetus to a new round of reform and development of the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City and the ever-deepening cooperation between Guangdong and Singapore.

Looking back over the past ten years, the builders of the Knowledge City have never forgotten their roots, never forgotten their mission, never failed to live up to their expectations, and focused on implementing the policy support and innovation drive advocated by General Secretary Xi Jinping, comprehensively deepened the opening-up of the Knowledge City, and pushed the development of the Knowledge City to a higher starting point, a higher level and a higher standard. It has established an all-round and multi-level cooperation mechanism with Singapore, signed 59 cooperation projects, launched the construction of the China-Singapore International Science and Technology Innovation Demonstration Zone, promoted the implementation of policy innovations and achievements of China-Singapore cooperation in the Knowledge City, and built a world-class cooperation platform. It has comprehensively deepened the construction of the first pilot zone for business environment reform and innovation, and promoted the devolution of all provincial authorizations to the Knowledge City. It has also ploughed into the pilot area for comprehensive reform of intellectual property rights application and protection, and pilot-tested innovative policies on intellectual property protection and application, pioneering the policy of mutual recognition of intellectual property rights in the Greater Bay Area. The decade-long transformation of the Knowledge City is a vivid microcosm of Guangdong's implementation of Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and its exploration of a new system for a higher level of open economy.

At present, Guangdong is studying and implementing the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee and the important speeches and instructions made by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, during his visit to Guangdong to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and to inspect Guangdong. We will push forward the implementation of the Plan with greater vigor, speed up the issuance of provincial implementation plans, promote the delegation of more provincial mandates to the Guangzhou Knowledge City, promote knowledge innovation, mechanism innovation and system innovation in an all-round way, and push the City to strive to become a national knowledge center with global influence and an important engine for the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chen. Now please welcome Mr. Chen Yong, Head of Huangpu District of Guangzhou.

Ladies and Gentlemen, friends from the press,

Good morning! I’d like to begin with expressing thanks for your care and support to Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (SSGKC). On August 26, the State Council approved the Master Plan of Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City (2020-2035), which demonstrates that President Xi Jinping, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council are fully committed to the reform and development of SSGKC in the new era. The Plan, which tasks SSGKC with deepening reforms and pioneering pilot projects, opens a new chapter for the SSGKC’s development, encourages and incentivizes us to keep forging ahead. Under the strong support by relevant departments including MOFCOM, the Provincial Government of Guangdong and the Municipal Government of Guangzhou, the Huangpu District would be fully engaged in the new development boom of SSGKC. We would implement the Plan, quicken the steps to formulate its implementing plan, align with the land and spatial planning, put out a list of major reform items, plan a batch of major infrastructure programs, and put in place a group of major industrial projects.

The past ten years have seen SSGKC to grow from a piece of farmland to a new modern city, which is under the modernization drive guided by the development paradigm featuring “one core, two centers and multiple industrial parks”. SSGKC has fostered an industrial cluster of top-notch bio-pharmaceuticals led by Mr. Wang Xiaodong, Mr. Shi Yigong and other academicians, a cluster of integrated circuit industry championed by CanSemi, the only 12-inch wafer producer in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (the GBA), and a cluster of NEV producers represented by Baoneng, Xpeng Motors and Baidu Apollo Intelligent Automobile. As the only place in China conducting integrated management of “patents, trademarks and copyrights”, SSGKC highly converges creation, usage and protection of intellectual property rights. It is the most-admired staging ground for the young people of the GBA, and the most-recognized platform for entrepreneurs, academicians and scientists to translate ideas into beneficial outcomes and realize innovative development. Currently, a total of 165 key projects are in full swing in SSGKC, with over RMB 50 billion of annual fixed investment.

Moving forward, bearing in mind President Xi’s instructions that the development of SSGKC must “focus on policy support and be innovation-driven”, we will work earnestly along his instructions and the reply of State Council’s approval for the Plan to forge ahead with building SSGKC into a new pacesetter of knowledge innovation, a free port of international talents, a source of innovative policies in the GBA, and a demonstration zone of openness and cooperation. We will better serve the BRI and high-quality development of the GBA, strive to contribute to fostering the new development paradigm, and lead the endeavor of building a modern socialist country in all respects.

We will push forward reforms in key areas with the greatest determination to explore a new horizon of business environment. Acting in accordance with the targets and tasks specified in the Plan, we will take bold steps to lead pilot projects to explore new paths and accumulate first-hand experience. We will draw on the exemplary practices in terms of business environment from Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau, further align ourselves with high-standard international investment and trade rules, integrate and optimize preferential policies of industrial development and talent cultivation, deepen reforms across the board in such key areas as innovation-driven development and knowledge creation, explore the comprehensive reform of IPR, and move faster to build the experimental area for national business environment reform and innovation.

We will pursue openness and cooperation with the highest standards to set new examples for international cooperation. We will deepen the bilateral cooperation with Singapore and support top Singaporean universities and research institutions in building coordinated innovation platforms and research institutes in SSGKC. We will also strengthen cooperation with Singapore in securities transaction, commodity futures and smart cities. We will enhance cooperation and exchanges with Hong Kong and Macau in industrial development and talent cultivation, create a demonstration zone of knowledge of Hong Kong and Macau, explore management models for engineering projects of these two SARs, and promote their mutual recognition and connection of intellectual property rights. We will stay committed to closer cooperation with Belt & Road countries in industries, science and technology and trade, and to the construction of a demonstration zone of B&R innovative cooperation.

We will pursue innovation-driven development with the strongest efforts to create new pacesetters of knowledge creation. Based on the ambition of building a national knowledge center with global influence, we will pull in talents, foster a knowledge-based economy, and build a key comprehensive platform for national scientific centers. We will enhance our role as a policy breeding ground for scientific and technological innovation, be fully engaged in the development of the GBA international science and technology innovation center and build major scientific and technological infrastructures such as large-scale scientific facilities. Focus will be placed on strategic emerging industries including the new generation of information technology, bio-medicine and integrated circuit. We will endeavor to make breakthroughs in core technologies, transfer and transformation of scientific and technological advancements, and make full efforts to build two world-class clusters for the new generation of IT and bio-medicine.

We are fully determined and confident in fulfilling the missions entrusted by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, with our commitment to the pioneering spirit, the entrepreneurial momentum, and the practical working attitude. We will strive to build SSGKC into a top-class city aspired by the whole world, and a vital driver for high quality development of the GBA.

Thank you!

Thank you, Mr. Chen. Now the floor is open to questions. Please identify your news agency before raising questions. Please ask questions based on the theme of today’s press conference.

Economic Information Daily: As China engages in the new opening-up endeavors, SSGKC aims to push forward higher level of opening-up and cooperation serves as a major demonstration platform. What will SSGKC do to become a new pacesetter of opening-up and fully involve itself in international cooperation?

The recently concluded Fifth Plenary of the 19th CPC Central Committee proposed to pursue high level of opening-up win-win cooperation. SSGKC is a hallmark of China-Singapore cooperation and an important window for China open up to the outside world. In 2018, the two countries upgraded SSGKC to a national-level bilateral cooperation project, and launched cooperation in scientific and technological innovation, IPR protection, advanced manufacturing and talent cultivation. New strides have been made in the development of SSGKC.

Just know I briefed you on the strategic positioning proposed in the Master Plan, which was also expounded on by other colleagues. The key words such as “global influence”, “international talents” and “openness and cooperation” all have strong indication of the importance of international cooperation. To build SSGKC into a new pacesetter of opening-up echoes to the target set by the Fifth Plenary of the 19th CPC Central Committee to clear all constraints in domestic circulation, strengthen domestic and international circulations, and explore win-win cooperation. SSGKC will be pushed to roll out more innovative policy measures, bring its international cooperation to a higher level, and build itself into a new pacesetter of opening-up. To this end, we will focus on the following three priorities.

Firstly, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, MOFCOM will implement in full the guiding principles of the 19th CPC National Congress and the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Plenary Sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee, earnestly fulfill the State Council’s requirements in its official reply concerning the Plan, stay committed to the new development philosophy, and give full play to the strengths of high-quality, innovation-driven development. We will work with Guangdong Province and the relevant departments of the State Council to guide the formulation of the implementation roadmap of the Plan, lay down more detailed requirements, and identify key tasks. We will introduce policies precisely targeted at attracting educated talents, developing a knowledge economy, creating knowledge and innovation hubs, and attracting innovative international talents. With these policies, we wish to deepen opening-up and cooperation and help to implement relevant cooperation projects in full for the sake of Belt and Road cooperation and the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In short, the first thing we should do is build our own strength.  

Secondly, we will better align policies and plans under China-Singapore bilateral cooperation mechanisms to deepen cooperation in key areas such as intellectual property rights, competitive industries and urban management. We will accelerate the development of the China-Singapore Demonstration Zone of International Cooperation on Scientific and Technological Innovation, which was launched in September this year, encourage the two sides to expand cooperation in strategic emerging industries and the headquarters economy, and help implement more quality projects to set a new example for China-Singapore cooperation.    

Thirdly, upholding the principles of open, inclusive and win-win cooperation, we will take stock of and draw upon the cooperation experiences of China and Singapore to actively carry out tripartite and multi-party cooperation, plan for and promote the development of the Knowledge City from an international perspective, expand exchanges and mutual learning with countries and regions along the Belt and Road, and build a globalized talent pool to foster a new pacesetter in opening-up and innovation. Thank you.

Shanghai Securities News: The Plan has been released and implemented. Going forward, how will Guangzhou formulate specific policies and measures to support the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City?

Chen Zhiying: The Plan speaks volume about General Secretary Xi Jinping’s care and high expectations for Guangdong and Guangzhou, as well as the great importance attached by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to China-Singapore cooperation and their strategic planning in this regard. It charts the course and provides basic guidelines for us, as well as injects strong impetus to the high-quality development of the Knowledge City from a new starting point.

Guangzhou attaches great importance to implementing the Plan regarding the Knowledge City. We have held multiple meetings to make special arrangements, requesting the relevant districts and departments of the city to study and implement in full the guiding principles of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, of the important remarks and instructions of the General Secretary at the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and during his visits to Guangdong. With a view to fostering a new development architecture and implementing major strategies such as Belt and Road initiative and the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, we will channel major efforts to provide policy support and facilitate innovation-driven development. With these efforts, we wish to build the Knowledge City into a new pacesetter in knowledge generation, a free port for international talents, a source of innovation in the Bay Area, a demonstration zone for opening-up and cooperation, and a national knowledge hub with global influence. At present, we are working intensively to formulate the implementation roadmap of the Plan and other policy documents.

We will increase policy support across the board. We will grant the Knowledge City greater autonomy in reform, further improve administrative institutions, and grant it city-level economic management authority across the board. We will pilot major reform initiatives first in the Knowledge City, support the piloting of the Hong Kong construction project approval model, and deepen business environment reforms to enable people to access more government services via a single website, get approvals online without the need to be physically present and enjoy business services enabled by blockchain technology. We will actively reform the administrative systems and mechanisms concerning land use, support the independent approval of land use projects, undertake to exercise the provincial authority to review and approve land use applications, and explore a new model of mixed industrial land supply. We will strengthen fiscal and tax policy support, set up a special development fund for the Knowledge City, implement preferential corporate income tax policies for emerging sectors such as the integrated circuits sector, and encourage financial institutions to provide financial services such as cross-border debt issuance, investment and mergers and acquisitions.

We will promote innovation-driven development across the board. Bearing in mind that innovation is the primary driving force, we will channel major efforts to attract renowned universities at home and abroad, cultivate high-level research and development institutions, focus on building innovation platforms in key fields such as biomedicine, information technology and materials science. We will work to develop clusters of financial and tech firms, and optimize and enhance the entire chain of scientific and technological innovation. We will vigorously develop knowledge-intensive sectors and improve the system to incubate and develop startups. We will deepen all-round cooperation between China and Singapore, implement a number of landmark projects such as the Guangzhou Knowledge City Ascendas Business Park and the Sino-Singapore International Joint Research Institute, and encourage enterprises, universities and research institutes from both sides to establish high-standard platforms for collaborative innovation. We will fully implement intellectual property strategies, move faster to build platforms such as the China (Guangzhou) International Intellectual Property Operation Center and the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Exchange, actively and steadily introduce financial innovations in intellectual property-based securities, insurance and trusts, and better leverage the role of diverse mediation mechanisms such as intellectual property courts, arbitration courts and notary offices. We will work to foster a pool of high-end talents, actively seek the authority to approve matters concerning high-end foreign talents, allow professionals with overseas qualifications in finance, construction, planning, design and other fields to provide services after record-filing, and continue to optimize public services for these talents in terms of education for their children, social security and medical care, as well as housing security. Thanks!

Hong Kong Commercial Daily: The Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City is one of the major innovation vehicles in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. According to the Plan, the Knowledge City will be built into an important engine for the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area. What measures will be taken to step up the support for the development of the Knowledge City to give full play to its advantageous role in the Greater Bay Area?

Chen Yuehua: The recently concluded Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee proposed to “adhere to the core position of innovation in the overall situation of China's modernization drive, and take scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening as a strategic support for national development”. As an important innovation hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City shoulders an important mission. Going forward, Guangdong Province will focus on supporting the development of the Knowledge City in three aspects.

First, we will support the development of the Knowledge City into an important innovation hub in the Greater Bay Area. We will create an innovation belt in the Greater Bay Area with major innovation hubs such as the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, Qingsheng Industrial Base for Scientific and Technological Innovation in Nansha, and the Guangdong-Macao (Hengqin) In-depth Cooperation Zone. We will support the the Knowledge City in fostering platforms for incubating and applying scientific and technological achievements in the Greater Bay Area, with emphasis on building model incubators, makerspaces and value innovation parks oriented towards Hong Kong and Macao. We will support the Knowledge City in fostering an intellectual property innovation hub in the Greater Bay Area, building a platform for intellectual property exchanges and cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, explore mechanisms for mutual recognition of intellectual property professionals, and enhance the cooperation among the three sides on intellectual property-based finance, insurance and trade.

Second, supporting the Knowledge City in building a world-class business environment. We will support Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City in benchmarking international high-standard investment and trade rules, speed up the replication and promotion of the pilot reform experience of Guangdong FTZ, further promote the delegation of more provincial administration authority, and support the Knowledge City in introducing targeted reform and policy measures in knowledge creation, scientific and technological innovation, talent attraction and employment, intellectual property rights, international cooperation, financial services, and industrial development, focusing on breakthrough for market-based factor allocation, property rights protection, and the reform of scientific and technological administration system.

Third, supporting the introduction and implementation of a number of major cooperation projects in Knowledge City. We will give full play to the advantages of the bilateral working mechanism under the Joint Implementation Committee of the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, strengthen the joint investment promotion between China and Singapore, and actively introduce more major foreign investment projects on scientific and technological innovation, higher education and cross-border finance to the knowledge city by relying on the direct communication mechanism between Guangdong leaders and multinational companies and dedicated teams for major foreign investment projects, especially by encouraging a number of multinational enterprises to set up regional headquarters in the Knowledge City, so as to promote the high-quality development of the Sino-Singapore International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone. Thank you!

Economic Daily: The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee put forward "regarding scientific and technological self-reliance as the strategic support for national development" and "upholding innovation as the core of overall modernization". How can the Knowledge City implement the relevant guidance? In this respect, what work has already been done by Knowledge City? What concrete measures will be taken to achieve self-reliance and innovation in science and technology?

Chen Yong: I would like to thanks friends from the media for their care and support for the scientific and technological innovation of Knowledge City. We are fully implementing the guiding principles of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, focusing on building an important engine of high-quality development in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and fully implementing the innovation-driven development strategy. The work will be focused on four aspects:

First, speeding up the development of science and technology infrastructure and building the "hard core" strength of science and technology. Major scientific and technological infrastructure is the backbone of innovation system. Focusing on "innovation-driven high-quality development" proposed in the Development Plan, we will make every effort to build high-level innovation platforms, speed up the development of major scientific and technological infrastructure, such as infrastructure on aviation tire dynamics and national nanotechnology innovation center. We are accelerating the development of professional innovation incubators such as "China Nano Valley" and Sino-Singapore International Joint Research Institute, promoting the development of 4.6-square kilometer science and education innovation park of the knowledge city, promoting the construction of graduate schools and research institutes under Xidian university and Guangzhou University, and continuously expanding the applied basic research system, striving to create more original results “from zero to one”.

Second, strengthening key technology research and promoting the transfer and application of scientific and technological achievements. Seize the opportunities of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation with original innovation, improve the application mechanism of scientific and technological innovation achievements, devise all-around new science-based plans for development space, actively participate in the research of key national scientific and technological projects, strengthen the advantages of collaborative innovation, integrated innovation and applied innovation, and promote new breakthrough in a number of key generic technologies, cutting-edge leading technologies and disruptive technologies in key areas such as next generation information technology, life sciences and integrated circuits.

Third, building an international talent pool and strengthening the support for scientific and technological talents. We regard talent cultivation as a priority. A large number of extensive talent policies have been introduced one after another. We will continue to improve the elderly care and childcare for talents as a brand. For example, in terms of support for talent innovation and entrepreneurship, projects supporting overseas cutting-edge talents, innovation and entrepreneurship leaders, entrepreneurial talents and others have been launched, giving support or rewards of up to RMB 1.5 billion, 20 million and 1 million respectively. In the next step, the Knowledge City will further push forward the innovation reform experiment, and pioneer the allocation of innovative resources and the system of attracting and employing talents, and make every effort to build a source of innovation and international talent pool in the Greater Bay Area.

Fourth, increasing financial support and guiding enterprises to expand investment in scientific research. Increase financial investment to support the development of major scientific and technological projects, and provide support for enterprises to undertake national, provincial and municipal major scientific and technological projects. Encourage enterprises to increase investment in research and development, and strengthen financial support and tax incentives for enterprise research and development. It is estimated that by 2025, the proportion of R&D investment in GDP will exceed 8%. Thank you!

Gao Feng: This is the end of today's press conference. I would like to thank the four speakers, as well as friends from the media, thank you all.

(All information published in this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only. )