The 20th Third Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party has concluded, with the technology aspects of the so-called “reform” plan released by the officials drawing attention. Recently, technology committees have been established from the central to local levels in the CCP, with many provinces having the party secretary and governor serving as “dual directors.” The high-ranking official in charge of technology within the CCP is Ding Xuexiang. Analysts believe that the CCP’s political bureaucratization, controlling the national technology system layout, hinders technological innovation and leads to distorted development of the Chinese economy.
At the press conference of the CCP Third Plenary Session today (July 19), the Education Minister Huai Jinpeng explained the “education, technology, talent, innovation” part of the plenary session documents, instead of the Minister of Science and Technology, Yin Hejun. Huai Jinpeng emphasized “deepening the reform of the mechanism for transforming scientific and technological achievements, constructing a scientific and technological financial system that adapts to technological innovation,” and more.
In the bulletin released by the CCP yesterday related to the Third Plenary Session, the so-called deepening reform was mentioned, along with the “innovation-driven development strategy” and “deepening reform of the scientific and technological system.” The bulletin also emphasized the adherence to the CCP Central Committee’s “centralized and unified leadership in further advancing comprehensive deepening reform.”
During the CCP Third Plenary Session, the China Business News reported that this year, provincially-level party committees’ technology committees had been established in provinces like Henan, Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Jilin, Sichuan, Hainan, Gansu, and Jiangsu. Among these, Henan, Jilin, Sichuan, Hainan, Gansu, Jiangsu explicitly revealed that the party secretary and the governor would serve as “dual directors.” At the municipal level, Nanjing, Chengdu, and several city technology committees in Henan also held their first meetings.
Hong Kong’s Sing Tao Daily pointed out that the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology recently released a new organizational structure, not only removing some original directly affiliated units but also establishing three new institutions: the New Quality Productivity Promotion Center, the New Technology Center, and the International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Center.
Regarding the establishment of provincial and municipal technology committees in various regions, some netizens commented after the reports in Chinese media: “One more department.” “The number of civil servants is increasing.” “Many people can be arranged.” “Will setting up an organization ensure that things will be done well?” “Repetitive organization setup.” “Reduce some organizations, add some organizations, balance it.”
Political commentator Li Lin commented to The Epoch Times that the establishment of these organizations layer by layer is indeed a manifestation of the repeated construction of the CCP’s bureaucratic system, merely for political credit. Moreover, most of these party secretaries and governors are laymen in technology, they are political bureaucrats often referred to as party hacks, and they may not necessarily contribute to technological development. Inadequate in accomplishing tasks and excessive in failures, “Ultimately, the CCP’s pursuit of a national technology system will also end up in chaos, just like the failed chip manufacturing initiative.”
Chinese affairs expert Wang He told The Epoch Times that the CCP’s establishment of local technology committees and departments is part of its plan for a new national system. These technology departments and the establishment of local technology committees are related to the so-called deepening of reforms and striving for technological self-reliance as stated in the Third Plenary Session. The nationwide technology conferences held earlier were also meant to support the objectives of the plenary session.
He believes that the CCP’s technological foundation lags behind the West and is constrained, with serious technological falsification. China produces numerous junk papers and patents in its research field. “The whole system has been completely ruined by a form of formalism. However, the superficial data still looks very good, which led to a wrong judgment by the authorities, thinking that our technology can leapfrog.”
The CCP leader Xi Jinping attended the National Science and Technology Conference on June 24, 2024, where he proposed to build a technological power by 2035. On June 25, 2024, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang appeared for the first time as the head of the Central Science and Technology Commission, emphasizing the strategic goal of anchoring the completion of a technological power by 2035 and promoting technological innovation through a new national system.
Wang He said that both domestic and international economists believe that China’s economy cannot be revitalized solely by developing cutting-edge technologies. However, the CCP has global ambitions. With China’s manufacturing capacity accounting for 30% of global production capacity, it believes it can use manufacturing as a trump card to make the global supply chain rely on China, aiming to dominate globally and confront the West. As a result, the entire Chinese economy has distorted development, with domestic overcapacity and external dumping, leading to increasing trade wars, tariff battles, and conflicts with various countries.
“Establishing a national system, promoting new quality productivity, in theory, are all wrong. To meet its arrogant mentality and control the world, the CCP is pushing itself into a death trap.”
Political commentator Li Lin added, saying that Ding Xuexiang, in charge of technology, rose to prominence by serving as Xi Jinping’s right-hand man for years, becoming a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Vice Premier. He lacks understanding of the economy. While he may reassure Xi Jinping, his further politicization of the technology field would be detrimental to the CCP’s technological innovation.
Chen Shimin, Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University, previously told The Epoch Times on June 18 that although Ding Xuexiang has an engineering background from studying at a university, he is not a Ph.D. holder in the scientific field and does not have a strong scientific background; he is just a technical bureaucrat.
The CCP’s institutional reform plan proposed in March last year mentioned the first responsibility of the Central Science and Technology Commission, which is to allegedly “strengthen the CCP central leadership in scientific and technological work.”
Chou Chien-wen, director of the Center for International Relations Studies at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, analyzed with The Epoch Times that the emphasis on centralization in finance, technology, and other areas by authorities is related to a sense of insecurity in power. However, innovation in technology requires freedom, and with insufficient degrees of freedom and relying on nationwide efforts, the space for independent innovation becomes relatively small, posing significant risks.