China is investing heavily in research and development and rapidly increasing high-technology output. This is happening as the country is passing through a challenging transition, as the labour-force expansion and surging investment that propelled three decades of growth is now weakening.
This is a natural stage in the country’s economic development. Yet it raises questions such as how drastically the expansion of GDP will slow down and whether the country can successfully become a leader in innovation and tap new sources of growth? Will the West soon be surpassed as the world’s innovation powerhouse? This was the topic of a debate at last months World Economic Forum in Abu Dhabi. Below is a video of the discussion. The participants are:
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Chen Zhangliang, Vice-President, China Association for Science and Technology, People’s Republic of China
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Mikael Damberg, Minister for Enterprise and Innovation of Sweden
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Francis Gurry, Director-General, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva; Global Agenda Council on the Creative Economy
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Kevin Sneader, Chairman, Asia, McKinsey & Company, Hong Kong SAR
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Amy Wilkinson, Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business, USA
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Moderated by Helena Leurent, Head of Business Engagement, Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum, Switzerland
China 2015–Leading Global Innovation?