Recently, at a press conference held by the State Information Office, when the heads of relevant departments introduced the achievements of economic and social development in the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, a large number of important weapons of major powers were introduced. For example, the first domestic electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier, the Fujian ship was launched, the first domestic large-scale cruise ship "Ida Modu" was completed and operated, the first largest LNG (liquefied natural gas) transport ship was delivered and used, the world's first fourth-generation nuclear power plant was put into commercial operation, the first Chinese space station "Tiangong" was fully completed and operated, the "Chang'e 6" achieved the world's first unmanned sampling and return on the back of the moon, the first domestic large aircraft C919 achieved commercial flight, etc., which are exciting.

A country's scientific and technological innovation capabilities and comprehensive national strength are often concentratedly reflected in the heavy tools of a major country. A heavy weapon of a great country refers to a core equipment or major project with high independent intellectual property rights and strategic significance. It is a representative work of a country's comprehensive strength in modern manufacturing. The independent innovation capabilities represented by the heavy tools of a big country and the projects of a big country are related to the foundation of a country's strength and security, and are an important driving force for us to develop new quality productivity and promote Chinese-style modernization. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has always insisted on taking innovation as the primary driving force for development and putting scientific and technological innovation at the core of the overall national development. The important weapons and key projects of each country have been unveiled, witnessing China's leap from a manufacturing power to a manufacturing power and becoming a vivid footnote to the construction of a technological power. We see that my country's high-speed rail technology has achieved a leap from introduction, digestion, absorption to independent innovation, from being able to achieve a leap from nothing to something, from catching up to leading. China's high-speed rail has not only formed a huge high-speed rail network in China, but has also entered the international market, becoming a symbol of "China's speed". The rapid development of 5G technology has not only promoted changes in the communications industry, but also provided strong technical support for the development of emerging fields such as the Internet of Things, intelligent transportation, and industrial Internet. Behind it is the long-term investment and innovative breakthroughs of Chinese scientific researchers. These all demonstrate that China's major breakthrough in adhering to the innovation-driven development strategy is inseparable from the accumulation of China's scientific research and innovation capabilities.

In today's world, the development and breakthrough of heavy weapons of major powers often require huge resource investment, long-term technical accumulation and efficient organization and coordination. The achievements of these achievements are not only a demonstration of scientific and technological strength, but also a vivid reflection of the superiority of the socialist system in concentrating its efforts on major tasks. Through scientific decision-making mechanisms and efficient organization and implementation, resources from all parties can be effectively integrated and strong synergy can be formed to ensure the smooth progress and successful implementation of major projects. Therefore, in order to achieve continuous breakthroughs and high-quality development of major powers, it is necessary to continuously promote the establishment and improvement of the national innovation system. Among them, basic research is the source of scientific and technological innovation and the cornerstone of the development of important weapons of major countries. The country should increase investment in basic research and support universities and research institutions to carry out cutting-edge and basic research. For example, my country's research in cutting-edge fields such as quantum computing and gene editing has laid the foundation for future high-tech industries. Strengthening basic research can provide theoretical support and technical reserves for the development of heavy equipment of major countries. Through policy guidance, we encourage cooperation between enterprises, universities and scientific research institutions to form an innovation system that combines production, education, research and application.

In the national innovation system, the heavy equipment of a big country is not only as simple as a product, an equipment, or an engineering. It often plays a leading role in the entire industrial system. The success or failure of a big country's heavy equipment is often directly related to the rise and fall of countless upstream and downstream industries. For example, high-end CNC machine tools are inseparable from important mechanical and electronic basic components such as hydraulics, pneumatics, bearings, seals, molds, tools, electronic devices, instruments and automatic control systems. Robots are inseparable from key components such as reducers, servo motors, controllers, sensors and drivers. Therefore, the important weapons of a great country will inevitably drive the development of countless specialized and new enterprises. Here, scientific principles are important and require joint research by scientists and engineers; hidden knowledge such as tricks, unique skills, formulas, etc. are equally important, and a large team of industrial workers with rich experience and craftsman spirit are also needed. Only by gathering various talents, repeatedly discussing and practicing, can high-quality products from major powers continue to emerge. Looking to the future, global competition for major powers is not something that can be achieved overnight, but as long as we continue to make progress in basic research, technological innovation, quality management, reliability control, full life cycle service, talent training, craftsman spirit, etc., to create a vibrant innovation ecosystem, China's major powers will surely go abroad and drive the transformation of Chinese manufacturing to Chinese creation, the transformation of Chinese brands to world brands, and the transformation of manufacturing power to manufacturing power, and contribute more Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to global scientific and technological progress.

(Author: Wu Jinxi, long-time professor at the School of Social Sciences of Tsinghua University and director of the Center for Strategic Emerging Industry Research)