China’s Xi signals tech ambitions in 5-year plan with tour of Beijing innovation park

President Xi Jinping has toured a hi-tech park in Beijing to assess China’s progress in information technology innovation, underscoring the country’s intensifying focus on high-level development amid a global race to dominate future industries.Xi inspected the National Information Technology Application Innovation Park in Beijing’s Yizhuang area on the capital’s southern outskirts, where he met business leaders, including Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, state media reported.The visit highlighted China’s push to achieve advanced sci-tech development, as Beijing backs a range of strategies to spur growth through technology and rally efforts for a strong start to the new five-year plan.According to state-run news agency Xinhua, Xi “attached great importance to innovation – the primary driving force” behind the Chinese economy. While the world’s second-largest economy met its 5 per cent growth target last year, it continued to grapple with a years-long property slump and weak investor and consumer confidence, among other challenges.Technological progress, meanwhile, has been elevated to a top priority amid global competition in the research, innovation and commercialisation of sectors such as artificial intelligence.During the tour, Xi viewed cutting-edge achievements and spoke with researchers and representatives from technology enterprises, Xinhua reported.