Wednesday, April 10, 2024

陈凯华 郭锐 面向数字化绿色化转型发展新质生产力 [Chen Kaihua Guo Rui: "Facing digital and green transformation to develop new productive forces"], Drones, and the Russo-Ukraine War

 

Pix Credit here (1954, Concentrate the Major Force in Developing Heavy Industry)

 

The issue of the identification of productive forces, and their instrumentalization towards the fundamental task of the Chinese Communist Party has been at the center of Chinese Leninist theory since before the CPC became the ruling party of the PRC.  It continues to have substantial repercussions--not merely for the alignment of theory and policy, but for its geo-political effects of its implementation.

In the move from the Era of Reform and Opening Up to the New Era of historical development, the character of productive forces, and the role of the vanguard in guiding that development and shaping that character has been changing in substantial respect. Among the most interesting has been the broadening of the notion of productive forces to expand beyond economic, to social, cultural, and managerial.  Recently, two other principles have become important.  One is subsumed within broad theoretical principles of innovation. The other embraces the emerging theoretical structures of ecological civilization.  Recently these have increasingly been aligned. And that alignment has proven to produce some potentially significant side effects of value to China.

One gets a good sense of the arc of that development in a recently published essay:  陈凯华 郭锐 面向数字化绿色化转型发展新质生产力 [Chen Kaihua Guo Rui: "Facing digital and green transformation to develop new productive forces"], which was published on 9 April 2024 in the《光明日报》[Guangming Daily]. The article provides a flavor of the emerging approaches, and more importantly, what sorts of initiatives are increasingly grouped together for networked development. The role of AI and generative big data tech is an important element--one not constrained by the premise system that characterizes European law making.

The essay appears below in its original Chinese and in a crude English translation.

Ordinarily one might find this essay to have only a curious resonance with events in the real world.  And yet, at about the time I was reading this I also read a most curious story published on the front pages of the Wall Street Journal: Heather Somerville and Brett Forrest, "U.S. Made Drones have Largely Failed in Ukraine Combat," (WSJ 11 April 2024, p. A1) (Online as "How American Drone Failed to Turn the Tide in Ukraine".  And this:

In the first war to feature small drones prominently, U.S. companies still have no meaningful presence. Made-in-America drones tend to be expensive, glitchy and hard to repair, said drone company executives, Ukrainians on the front lines, Ukrainian government officials and former U.S. defense officials. Instead, Ukraine has tuned to cheaper Chinese products. . . The military is using off-the-shelf Chinese drones, primarily from SZ DJI Technology. Ukraine has also developed a domestic drone industry that relies on Chinese components." (Ibid, pp. A1, A7).

One can only wonder, in this context,  whether about many things. But primarily one notes that the alignment of ideology, policy, and implementation appears to be better aligned outside the United States than within our Republic.  That ought to cause those responsible techno-managers and their overseers (policy, finance, tech) some concern. And, as a side note, it appears to complicate the position of China in the Russo-Ukrainian war.


Pix credit here

 

 

面向数字化绿色化转型发展新质生产力
作者:陈凯华 郭锐
《光明日报》( 2024年04月09日 06版)

  习近平总书记强调,“发展新质生产力是推动高质量发展的内在要求和重要着力点,必须继续做好创新这篇大文章,推动新质生产力加快发展”。新质生产力的发展与经济社会高质量发展的需求一脉相承,需要新的发展动力和方式,数字化绿色化作为新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展的两大趋势深度满足了这一时代发展需求。数字化绿色化转型能够加速高质量发展动力变革、方向变革、能力变革和效率变革,成为发展新质生产力和推动高质量发展的必然选择。新质生产力的发展需求也将进一步带动系统性的数字化绿色化转型,推进现代化产业体系建设。要顺应数字化绿色化发展大势,加快发展新质生产力,不断塑造发展新动能新优势。

1.数字化绿色化转型为形成新质生产力提供重要动能

  习近平总书记指出,新质生产力是创新起主导作用,摆脱传统经济增长方式、生产力发展路径,具有高科技、高效能、高质量特征,符合新发展理念的先进生产力质态。数字化绿色化转型与科技体系、产业体系深度融合,能够为新质生产力筑牢科技创新和产业转型基础,系统性推动新质生产力发展的动力变革与方向变革。

  数字化转型促使数字科技和数字产业深度融入生产生活各领域,为发展新质生产力提供了新动力和新工具。新质生产力呈现典型的科技创新驱动特征。数字技术作为新时期的通用使能技术,能够推动科技体系实现螺旋式上升、可持续迭代优化的全面变革。数字化转型下数字技术与各领域科技创新交叉融合,能够不断催生新技术、新产业、新模式和新动能,促进以科技创新为引擎的新质生产力发展。同时,数字科技发展和应用已形成包括工业互联网、智能传感设备、云计算等在内的生产资料,塑造“数字+”“智慧+”“智能+”等新型场景及应用空间,是推动产业结构高端化、形成新时期战略性新兴产业和未来产业的关键基础。数字科技也能够赋予传统生产资料以数字化属性,加速劳动资料在生产各环节深度融合,促进资源要素快速流动和高效匹配,进而推动生产力的跃迁。此外,数字科技支撑下的知识、技术和数据等新型生产要素地位日益提升,尤其是“数据要素×”“人工智能+”广泛赋能千行百业,衍生出新型的数据生产力,已成为新质生产力的重要源泉。

  绿色化转型中引领生产生活节能减排降碳的绿色科技和发展理念,为发展新质生产力提供了重要发展方向。新质生产力顺应了全球绿色转型的大趋势和新需求,具备可持续的内在特征。绿色发展理念与科技体系的深度融合能够为加快发展方式绿色转型奠定科技创新基础,先进绿色低碳科技创新的推广应用则是发展绿色低碳产业和供应链、构建绿色低碳循环经济体系的基石。绿色化转型下,通过综合应用绿色低碳科技创新、绿色生产力工具和生态环境管理技术,能够在减少组织活动、产品和服务对环境影响的同时,提升市场竞争力和经济收益,从而实现生产力发展与经济社会可持续发展,最终推动新质生产力的持续涌现。

  数字化绿色化融合转型为发展新质生产力提供了更加前沿原创的科技创新基础和新领域新赛道。新质生产力由技术革命性突破、生产要素创新性配置和产业深度转型升级而催生。数字化绿色化转型表现为既要提高创新效能、改进生产力与生产关系,又要兼顾改善生态环境、提升创新活动可持续性,不仅强调数字与绿色科技创新应用场景和功能发挥互相渗透,而且注重转型特定产业、政策等深度融合,是创新体系多层级协同的系统性过程。数字化绿色化转型在科技层面的耦合,能够进一步产生新的科学发现、新的制造技术以及新的生产工具和生产要素,为发展新质生产力奠定科技创新和生产基础。

2.以新质生产力带动产业结构升级

  新质生产力强调以现代科学和关键核心技术来突破产业发展中的桎梏,对发展动力、发展方式变革的迫切需求及发展带来的生产力跃迁能够进一步推动产业发展智能化、低碳化和融合化,加速带动系统性的数字化绿色化转型,有利于加快实现产业结构升级、构建现代化产业体系。

  新质生产力的发展能够加速带动产业发展智能化。新质生产力发展对原创性、颠覆性科技创新的需求日益紧迫,将持续刺激数字技术涌现并与其他领域技术融合,加快产业化进程。新质生产力强调劳动者素质的提高和劳动资料的升级换代,其发展将衍生出更高水平的人才资源和生产工具,能够更加高效地与以自动化和数字化为主的智能制造、先进制造体系协同,进一步推进产业体系的数字化转型。此外,新质生产力的发展促使产生新型数字化商业运营模式,例如平台经济、云服务、个性定制等,能够进一步提高数字化新型产品的流通数量和流通效率、满足消费者的差异化需求,推动供需对接更加精准、高效,为经济社会高质量发展奠定生产力基础。

  新质生产力的发展能够加速带动产业发展低碳化。新质生产力本身就是绿色生产力,其核心要求之一就是加快发展方式绿色转型,这一需求将有效引导创新主体加快绿色低碳科技创新和应用,引领产业结构绿色化转型升级。同时,新质生产力涉及的科技领域新、技术含量高,能够衍生出更多具有绿色化特质的生产工具,推动传统制造的工艺优化和设备改造升级,使得生产方式和流程更加绿色高效,进一步加速产业绿色化。随着人类研究探索更多非物质性的新劳动对象,新质生产力不断拓展劳动对象的类型和实践场域,优化劳动资料的成分与结构,也能够减少对自然资源的过度使用。

  新质生产力的发展能够加速带动产业发展融合化。新质生产力更加强调构建现代化产业体系,这一需求将持续刺激以数字科技和绿色科技融合为代表的新兴产业、未来产业融合,引导转型产业进一步向价值链高端延伸。同时,新质生产力的发展带来生产力跃迁和生产方式变革,能够进一步加速数字科技、绿色科技、数据等新型生产要素与其他新兴产业、未来产业交叉融合,推动新技术新业态加速涌现,从而实现生产效率和经济规模的倍增。

3.发展新质生产力需要系统谋划、协同发力

  面向数字化绿色化转型发展新质生产力是一项系统工程,对科学研究、技术开发、市场转化等方面变革提出了更高要求,应从科技支撑、产业优化、区域协调和制度保障等多维度系统谋划、协同发力。

  推动数字化绿色化转型与科技创新融合,为新质生产力发展提供科技支撑。一是引领创新主体发展综合性前沿科技创新。目前部分创新主体仍专注于孤立地追求数字化转型,尚未意识到数字科技能耗对环境成本和经营成本的影响。应打通从数字科技研发到绿色低碳应用的创新链环节,促进更多低能耗、高能效的数字与绿色综合性技术投入实践应用。二是以科学的战略预见应对转型发展中的技术方向性问题。应确定转型发展路线图并优先考虑重点领域和新型赛道,设置推动未来可持续发展的数字化绿色化科技发展议程,为转型提供前沿科技储备。三是进一步优化学科体系和人才培养模式。开展面向转型需求的基础性科学研究与应用研究,推动科研部门与产业部门实现供需精准对接。强化数字资源和技能学习平台供给,提高面向转型的人才链与创新链、产业链的融合水平,为新质生产力发展奠定人才基础。

  加速推进产业体系数字化绿色化转型,为新质生产力发展提供落地载体。一方面,利用数字融合改善传统产业,应用物联网、大数据分析和人工智能等技术,实现传统产业生产过程的数字化管理和自动化、智能化控制,推动传统产业向智能制造转变。同时,通过支持绿色低碳发展的经济政策工具箱,加快推动传统制造工艺、设备和劳动密集型行业的绿色化改造,实现从绿色采购、绿色制造到回收利用的全供应链焕新,构建绿色低碳循环经济体系。另一方面,更加关注数字产业的绿色化,对区块链、大模型等产业的高耗能算力与生产流程进行优化,促进数字产业的绿色低碳发展。在科技创新的基础上,前瞻布局相关产业体系,推动新质生产力进一步落地。

  加强区域数字化绿色化转型协调布局,为新质生产力发展提供资源支持。一方面,结合不同区域的经济发展特色和禀赋优势,科学规划数字化绿色化转型的区域布局。加强中西部地区的数字基础设施建设,进一步完善“东数西算”工程,强化东中西部的数字化绿色化科技创新合作。另一方面,以基层工业园区转型为抓手,加快推动新质生产力涌现。量大面广的基层工业园区是我国推进新型工业化、发展新质生产力的关键着力点。应面向数字化绿色化转型需求,因地制宜地制定园区发展战略,推动园区主导产业建设与地方资源禀赋优势、区域发展定位深度融合,走专精特新的发展道路,构建现代化产业体系。

  强化数字化绿色化转型政策体系供给,为新质生产力发展提供制度保障。一方面,政府与市场协同发力。政府应在数字化转型中更多发挥强化主体合作与监管的作用,在绿色化转型中更多起到激励市场创新主体转型与发展的作用,从而有效激发创新主体的科技创新活力和产业转化动力。另一方面,加强治理体系统筹与主体协同。数字化绿色化转型涉及多个科技创新部门,对工信、网信、环保、能源、交通等行业管理部门提出了新的更高要求。应加强顶层设计,构建统筹转型的协调机制,充分调动各部门、各层级政府推动转型的积极性,为发展新质生产力营造良好环境。

  (作者:陈凯华、郭锐,分别系中国科学院大学公共政策与管理学院长聘体系特聘教授、特别研究助理)


Facing digital and green transformation to develop new productive forces
Author: Chen Kaihua Guo Rui
"Guangming Daily" (Page 06, April 9, 2024)

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that “the development of new productive forces is an intrinsic requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development. We must continue to do a good job in innovation and promote the accelerated development of new productive forces.” The development of new productive forces is in line with the demand for high-quality economic and social development and requires new development motivation and methods. Digital greening, as the two major trends of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and in-depth industrial transformation, deeply meets the development needs of this era. Digital green transformation can accelerate the change in motivation, direction, capability and efficiency of high-quality development, and has become an inevitable choice for developing new productive forces and promoting high-quality development. The development needs of new productive forces will also further drive systematic digital green transformation and promote the construction of a modern industrial system. We must conform to the general trend of digital and green development, accelerate the development of new productive forces, and constantly create new drivers of development and new advantages.

1. Digital green transformation provides important driving force for the formation of new productivity

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that new productivity is an advanced productivity that plays a leading role in innovation, breaks away from the traditional economic growth mode and productivity development path, has the characteristics of high technology, high efficiency and high quality, and conforms to the new development concept. The deep integration of digital green transformation with the technological system and industrial system can lay a solid foundation for technological innovation and industrial transformation for new productive forces, and systematically promote the change in power and direction of the development of new productive forces.

 Digital transformation has promoted the deep integration of digital technology and digital industries into all areas of production and life, providing new impetus and new tools for the development of new productivity. New productivity shows typical characteristics driven by technological innovation. As a universal enabling technology in the new era, digital technology can promote the scientific and technological system to achieve comprehensive changes in a spiral and sustainable iterative optimization. Under digital transformation, the cross-integration of digital technology and scientific and technological innovation in various fields can continuously generate new technologies, new industries, new models and new drivers, and promote the development of new productive forces with scientific and technological innovation as the engine. At the same time, the development and application of digital technology has formed production materials including the industrial Internet, intelligent sensing equipment, cloud computing, etc., shaping new scenarios and application spaces such as "digital +", "smart +" and "intelligent +", which is the driving force behind the industry. The high-end structure will form the key foundation for strategic emerging industries and future industries in the new era. Digital technology can also give digital attributes to traditional production materials, accelerate the in-depth integration of labor materials in all aspects of production, promote the rapid flow and efficient matching of resource elements, and thereby promote the leap in productivity. In addition, the status of new production factors such as knowledge, technology and data supported by digital technology is increasing day by day. In particular, "data factors ×" and "artificial intelligence +" have widely empowered thousands of industries, derived new data productivity, and have become new quality important source of productivity.

 Green technology and development concepts that lead to energy conservation and emission reduction in production and life during the green transformation provide an important development direction for the development of new productivity. New quality productivity complies with the global green transformation trend and new needs, and has inherent sustainable characteristics. The deep integration of green development concepts and scientific and technological systems can lay the foundation for scientific and technological innovation to accelerate the green transformation of development methods. The promotion and application of advanced green and low-carbon scientific and technological innovation is the cornerstone of developing green and low-carbon industries and supply chains, and building a green and low-carbon circular economic system. . Under the green transformation, through the comprehensive application of green and low-carbon technological innovation, green productivity tools and ecological environment management technology, it can reduce the environmental impact of organizational activities, products and services while improving market competitiveness and economic returns, thereby achieving productivity development. and sustainable economic and social development, ultimately promoting the continued emergence of new productive forces.

  Digital green integration and transformation provide a more cutting-edge and original scientific and technological innovation foundation and new fields and new tracks for the development of new productive forces. New productivity is generated by revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and in-depth industrial transformation and upgrading. Digital green transformation requires not only improving innovation efficiency, improving productivity and production relations, but also taking into account improving the ecological environment and enhancing the sustainability of innovation activities. It not only emphasizes the interpenetration of digital and green technology innovation application scenarios and functions, but also focuses on transformation The deep integration of specific industries and policies is a systematic process of multi-level collaboration in the innovation system. The coupling of digital green transformation at the technological level can further produce new scientific discoveries, new manufacturing technologies, and new production tools and production factors, laying the foundation for technological innovation and production for the development of new productivity.

2. Promote the upgrading of industrial structure with new quality productivity

New productivity emphasizes the use of modern science and key core technologies to break through the shackles of industrial development. The urgent need for development momentum, changes in development methods, and the productivity jump brought about by development can further promote the intelligent, low-carbon, and integrated industrial development. Accelerating the systematic digital green transformation will help accelerate the upgrading of industrial structure and build a modern industrial system.

  The development of new productive forces can accelerate the development of smart industries. The development of new productive forces has an increasingly urgent need for original and disruptive technological innovation, which will continue to stimulate the emergence of digital technologies and their integration with technologies in other fields, accelerating the industrialization process. New quality productivity emphasizes the improvement of workers' quality and the upgrading of labor materials. Its development will generate higher-level human resources and production tools, which can more efficiently cooperate with intelligent manufacturing and advanced manufacturing systems based on automation and digitalization. , to further promote the digital transformation of the industrial system. In addition, the development of new productivity has led to the emergence of new digital business operation models, such as platform economy, cloud services, personalized customization, etc., which can further increase the circulation quantity and efficiency of new digital products, meet the differentiated needs of consumers, and promote the connection between supply and demand. More accurate and efficient, laying a productivity foundation for high-quality economic and social development.

 The development of new productive forces can accelerate the development of low-carbon industries. New productivity itself is green productivity, and one of its core requirements is to accelerate the green transformation of development methods. This requirement will effectively guide innovative entities to accelerate the innovation and application of green and low-carbon technologies, and lead the green transformation and upgrading of industrial structures. At the same time, new quality productivity involves new and high-tech fields in science and technology, which can generate more production tools with green characteristics, promote process optimization and equipment transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing, make production methods and processes more green and efficient, and further accelerate Greening the industry. As human research explores more non-material new labor objects, new qualitative productivity continues to expand the types and practical fields of labor objects, optimize the composition and structure of labor materials, and also reduce the excessive use of natural resources.

  The development of new productive forces can accelerate the integration of industrial development. New productivity puts more emphasis on building a modern industrial system. This demand will continue to stimulate the integration of emerging industries and future industries represented by the integration of digital technology and green technology, and guide the transformation of industries to further extend to the high end of the value chain. At the same time, the development of new productive forces has brought about productivity leaps and changes in production methods, which can further accelerate the cross-integration of new production factors such as digital technology, green technology, and data with other emerging and future industries, promote the accelerated emergence of new technologies and new business forms, and thus achieve Multiplication of production efficiency and economies of scale.

3. Developing new productive forces requires systematic planning and coordinated efforts

The development of new productivity in the face of digital and green transformation is a systematic project, which puts forward higher requirements for changes in scientific research, technology development, market transformation and other aspects. It should be systematically planned from multiple dimensions such as scientific and technological support, industrial optimization, regional coordination and institutional guarantees. , work together.

  Promote the integration of digital green transformation and technological innovation to provide technological support for the development of new productivity. The first is to lead innovation entities to develop comprehensive cutting-edge scientific and technological innovation. At present, some innovation entities are still focused on pursuing digital transformation in isolation, and have not yet realized the impact of digital technology energy consumption on environmental costs and operating costs. We should open up the innovation chain from digital technology research and development to green and low-carbon applications, and promote the practical application of more low-energy, high-energy-efficiency digital and green comprehensive technologies. The second is to use scientific strategic foresight to deal with technological direction issues in transformation and development. A roadmap for transformation and development should be determined and priority should be given to key areas and new tracks, a digital green technology development agenda that promotes future sustainable development should be set, and cutting-edge technology reserves should be provided for transformation. The third is to further optimize the subject system and talent training model. Carry out basic scientific research and applied research oriented to transformation needs, and promote scientific research departments and industrial departments to achieve accurate docking of supply and demand. Strengthen the supply of digital resources and skills learning platforms, improve the integration level of the transformation-oriented talent chain, innovation chain, and industrial chain, and lay a talent foundation for the development of new quality productivity.

Accelerate the digital and green transformation of the industrial system and provide a carrier for the development of new productive forces. On the one hand, digital integration is used to improve traditional industries, and technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data analysis, and artificial intelligence are applied to realize digital management, automation, and intelligent control of the production process of traditional industries, and promote the transformation of traditional industries into intelligent manufacturing. At the same time, through the economic policy toolbox that supports green and low-carbon development, we will accelerate the green transformation of traditional manufacturing processes, equipment and labor-intensive industries, realize the renewal of the entire supply chain from green procurement, green manufacturing to recycling, and build a green Low-carbon circular economic system. On the other hand, it pays more attention to the greening of the digital industry, optimizing the energy-consuming computing power and production processes of industries such as blockchain and large models to promote the green and low-carbon development of the digital industry. On the basis of scientific and technological innovation, we will proactively lay out relevant industrial systems and promote the further implementation of new productive forces.

  Strengthen the coordinated layout of regional digital green transformation and provide resource support for the development of new quality productivity. On the one hand, scientifically plan the regional layout of digital green transformation by combining the economic development characteristics and endowment advantages of different regions. Strengthen the construction of digital infrastructure in the central and western regions, further improve the "Eastern Digital and Western Counting" project, and strengthen digital, green and technological innovation cooperation in the eastern, central and western regions. On the other hand, we should use the transformation of grassroots industrial parks as a starting point to accelerate the emergence of new productive forces. Large-scale grassroots industrial parks are a key focus for my country to promote new industrialization and develop new productive forces. We should face the needs of digital green transformation, formulate park development strategies according to local conditions, promote the deep integration of the park's leading industry construction with local resource endowment advantages and regional development positioning, take a specialized and new development path, and build a modern industrial system.

 Strengthen the supply of digital and green transformation policy systems to provide institutional guarantees for the development of new-quality productive forces. On the one hand, the government and the market work together. The government should play a greater role in strengthening the cooperation and supervision of entities in the digital transformation, and play a greater role in stimulating the transformation and development of market innovation entities in the green transformation, thereby effectively stimulating the scientific and technological innovation vitality and industrial transformation motivation of innovative entities. On the other hand, we need to strengthen the coordination of governance systems and coordination among entities. Digital green transformation involves multiple scientific and technological innovation departments, and has put forward new and higher requirements for industry management departments such as industry and information technology, network information, environmental protection, energy, and transportation. We should strengthen top-level design, build a coordination mechanism for overall transformation, fully mobilize the enthusiasm of various departments and governments at all levels to promote transformation, and create a good environment for the development of new productivity.

  (Authors: Chen Kaihua and Guo Rui are respectively Distinguished Professor and Special Research Assistant of the School of Public Policy and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

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