China is embarking on a transformative strategy to elevate its science and technology innovation landscape from individual city hubs to integrated regional powerhouses. Science and Technology Minister Yin Hejun announced the national plan to develop globally influential innovation clusters within the next decade, marking a significant shift in China’s technological development approach.
The ambitious initiative, initially proposed during December’s Central Economic Work Conference, will expand Beijing’s international innovation center to encompass the entire Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Simultaneously, Shanghai’s innovation hub will broaden to incorporate the Yangtze River Delta region, integrating economic powerhouses Jiangsu and Zhejiang alongside technology-focused Anhui province. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area completes the trio of designated innovation clusters.
Minister Yin characterized this evolution as a strategic ‘transition from single-city development to integrated regional coordination,’ emphasizing enhanced capabilities in innovation generation, high-end industry leadership, and elite talent acquisition. The comprehensive plan targets establishing these regions as globally recognized science and technology innovation centers by 2035.
Current innovation metrics demonstrate strong foundations for this expansion. Recent data reveals impressive R&D intensity percentages across these regions: Beijing leads at 6.58%, followed by Shanghai at 4.35%, and Guangdong province at 3.6%—ranking them as China’s top three innovation investment regions.
International recognition has already materialized, with the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster achieving the top position in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2025 Global Innovation Index, surpassing Japan’s Tokyo-Yokohama cluster for the first time.
The cluster strategy is already attracting corporate participation. JoyGovAI, a Chengdu-based information technology firm, exemplifies this trend with established branches in Beijing and Shanghai and planned expansion into Shenzhen. Company Chairman Huang Hu emphasized the strategic advantages: ‘The concentration of resources within these innovation clusters enables improved coordination, resource sharing, and cross-industrial collaboration, ultimately reducing innovation costs and shortening R&D cycles.’
The ministry identifies technology-industry integration as a key priority for the next five years, focusing on strengthening enterprise-led innovation and supporting modern industrial system development. This coordinated approach aims to accelerate laboratory-to-market technology transfer and solidify China’s position as a global innovation leader.