Dynamic factors drive China's thriving innovation

A suspended monorail train runs in the Optics Valley in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Yuanming)

At first glance, seemingly unrelated phenomena may unveil converging trends when examined through an innovative lens.

This spring, two developments have captured public attention: Hangzhou's "Six Little Dragons"—a group of pioneering tech enterprises in east China's Zhejiang province—have sparked nationwide enthusiasm for technological advancement, while the animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" has secured its place among the highest-grossing films in global cinema history. Though technology and animation initially appear disparate—the former representing scientific frontiers, the latter showcasing China's cultural creativity—both fundamentally thrive on innovation.

Historically, China's innovation landscape has been dominated by its eastern regions. Yet the rise of "Ne Zha 2", produced in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan province, raises a critical question: Is this an isolated success story, or does it signify broader progress in central and western regions under China's innovation-driven development strategy?

At the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei 5G+ industrial internet intelligent manufacturing collaborative innovation demonstration base in Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei province, staff members are demonstrating a smart city interactive sandbox. (People's Daily Online/Cao Jianxiong)

A closer examination reveals a surge of breakthroughs across central and western China: Henan's Pangdonglai supermarket chain has revolutionized retail through disruptive business models; Anhui has emerged as a hub for quantum computing and new energy vehicle technologies; Xinjiang now hosts the world's longest desert railway and most extensive sand-control greenbelt. When viewed collectively, these achievements highlight a narrowing innovation gap between eastern and central-western regions.

This transformative shift stems largely from China's accelerated development of a unified national market. The country's world-leading infrastructure—encompassing high-speed rail, expressways, and logistics networks—has effectively compressed geographical distances. Meanwhile, universal 5G coverage at the county level and broadband access in every village, coupled with 5G's representing over 60% of mobile subscribers, have turbocharged information flows.

Complementing these advancements, the elimination of regional trade barriers and standardization of market regulations have fostered nationwide fair competition. Together, these measures create an ecosystem where innovation transcends geographical boundaries, enabling coordinated development across China's diverse regions.

The establishment of a unified domestic market and the unimpeded "dual circulation" framework have facilitated the seamless allocation of resources and production factors. Valuable innovations now overcome geographical barriers, drawing capital and expertise nationwide—and even globally—while capitalizing on China's vast market advantages.

Technicians inspect the State Grid Corporation's 220kV HouDian quantum application demonstration substation in Hefei, east China's Anhui province. (People's Daily Online/Liu Yucai)

Traditional constraints tied to geographic location and transportation infrastructure are diminishing, unleashing latent developmental potential in central and western regions and catalyzing unprecedented innovation momentum. Cross-regional innovation collaboration has intensified significantly. Along the Chaobai River basin spanning Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province, entrepreneurs from Beijing increasingly invest in Tianjin and Hebei, while industrial components from these areas steadily supply Beijing's Economic-Technological Development Area.

In Hubei province, the Optics Valley Sci-tech Innovation Corridor exemplifies integrated advancement: Wuhan drives R&D breakthroughs, Ezhou spearheads commercialization, and neighboring cities specialize in manufacturing—showcasing how regional synergy accelerates shared technological progress.

Such coordinated innovation strategies optimize spatial resource distribution, generate multiplicative synergies, and narrow regional innovation disparities. As physical boundaries dissolve, ambitious visions now transcend geographical divides. Recent years have seen institutions from Ningxia Hui autonomous region establish innovation hubs in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, leveraging premium resources to pioneer East-West tech collaboration frameworks. Notably, a Ningxia-based organic pigment manufacturer secured a nearly $200,000 contract via the Ningxia-Shanghai Sci-Tech Innovation Center, marking its successful entry into Europe's automotive coatings market.

The consolidation of a national unified market has amplified market scalability and industrial resilience. Enterprises and innovators nationwide now access cross-regional networks seamlessly. As innovation evolves into a collective, nationwide pursuit—fueled by collaborative specialization—it promises to yield transformative breakthroughs that redefine industrial frontiers.