China will further advance comprehensive reforms in the vibrant southern city of Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong Province, and push for greater innovation and opening-up in the city, according to a set of guidelines unveiled on Tuesday.
The guidelines, issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, highlight a new batch of reform measures for Shenzhen to break institutional barriers in education, science, and talent development, according to Xinhua.
They emphasize strengthening the integration of innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains, while exploring new pathways, scenarios, and platforms for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) cooperation. They aim to pioneer modernization in the construction of a globally oriented, innovation-driven city, Xinhua reported.
By advancing reform and opening-up at a higher starting point, to a higher level, and for higher goals, Shenzhen will generate more replicable and scalable best practices. It will further amplify its role as a key engine in the GBA and as a radiating hub in the national development strategy. These efforts will contribute to building China into a modern socialist country in all respects, the guidelines said.
Specifically, the guidelines call for a coordinated push to integrate reforms in education, science and technology, and talent development systems and mechanisms. This includes reinforcing the central role of enterprises in technological innovation and improving effective pathways for leading tech companies to serve as "problem setters" in research and development.
They also promote integrated reforms in talent cultivation methods, education models, management systems, and support mechanisms. Universities and enterprises are encouraged to jointly cultivate high-caliber, interdisciplinary engineering talent and foster a pool of innovative entrepreneurs proficient in cutting-edge technologies. The guidelines also call for enhancing support systems for attracting overseas talent.
In addition, the guidelines propose measures to enable the high-quality development of the real economy through finance, technology, and data integration. This includes supporting Shenzhen in launching a pilot program for the integration of finance and the tech industry.
They also support reforms in unmanned aerial vehicle flight management, improvement of low-altitude flight regulations, and exploration of general aviation services such as cross-border helicopter flights and public service missions.
Moreover, the guidelines call for the establishment of a new, higher-level open economic system. This includes facilitating goods trade and promoting innovations in customs clearance, with Shenzhen's Yantian Port designated as one of the areas where these measures will be implemented.
The release of the guidelines is based on more than 40 years of exploration in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and years of reform efforts in the GBA, and its introduction carries great significance for promoting high-quality development and opening-up in both the city and the wider region, Li Changan, a professor at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"Shenzhen has been a national leader in technological innovation and application, and further progress in this area requires strong support from the education sector," the expert said, indicating the importance of the policy in prioritizing the integrated development of education, science, and talent.
As of late 2024, Shenzhen's skilled workforce reached 4.033 million, with the proportion of highly skilled talent rising to 38.5 percent, according to Shenzhen government data. Both the size of the workforce and the share of highly skilled workers rank among the highest in the country.
The guidelines for Shenzhen carry significant weight and relevance, given the city's longstanding position at the forefront of China's reform and its deep integration across various stages of the industrial chain — from manufacturing and research and development to design, trade, and logistics, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the Digital-Real Economies Integration Forum 50, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Hu noted that Shenzhen benefits not only from its role as home to major capital market platforms like the Shenzhen Stock Exchange but also from its strategic location in the GBA, the presence of leading universities and research institutions, a strong industrial foundation in the Pearl River Delta, and its vital status as a key hub in the country's reform journey. These conditions, Hu said, make the city an ideal testing ground for reform measures with potential for national application.
Amid ongoing technological transformation, Shenzhen continues to exemplify China's commitment to further opening-up and global cooperation, even as protectionist and anti-globalization trends grow in certain countries, Hu noted.
(Source: Global Times)