Innovation Nation.docVIP

Innovation Nation 　　China is the maker of the world’s goods， however， the idea of “Made in China”denoting innovative， efficient products might seem like fantasy. 　　The same entrepreneurial spirit that has driven the country’s meteoric rise in the global marketplace is now driving a wave of innovation supported by the deep pockets of the Central Government. Some 2，500 “innovation centers”have popped up in cities across China， and that number is set to double in the next five years， according to Internet research firm iiMedia. 　　Meeting the consensus annual GDP growth forecast over the coming decade（5.5-6.5 percent） will require China to generate 2-3 percentage points of annual GDP growth through innovation， according to a study released last fall by McKinsey Global Institute. That transition―from “innovation sponge” to global innovation leader―is possible for China， said authors of the study， though far from inevitable. 　　China is already becoming known for its advances in customer- and manufacturing-oriented innovation. A viral video circulating on the Internet recently depicts a futuristic Chinese city with traffic humming along efficiently thanks to a sleek， elevated bus that is cheaper， cleaner and easier to build than any subway. A model of the Transit Elevated Bus debuted at this year’s Beijing International High-Tech Expo， where it was just one of a number of groundbreaking ideas on display. 　　Every year the country spends more than$200 billion on research （second only to the United States）， produces 30，000 PhDs in science and engineering， and leads the world in patent applications， said McKinsey. 　　“Chinese companies are performing well in some types of innovation， by filling consumer needs with better products and services and wielding the power of China’s manufacturing ecosystem to make innovations in production processes，” stated the study’s authors. “China has yet to take the lead in more challenging forms of innovation， such as scientific disco