Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum on Sept. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

-- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on all countries to strengthen openness and cooperation in science and technology while delivering a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum.

-- Zhongguancun is China's first national independent innovation demonstration zone, and the ZGC Forum is a state-level platform for global sci-tech innovation exchanges and cooperation.

-- Currently, Beijing is striving to build itself into an international tech innovation center, with Zhongguancun taking the lead.

BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on all countries to strengthen openness and cooperation in science and technology.

Xi made the remarks while delivering a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum), which is scheduled from Sept. 24 to 28 in Beijing.

Xi noted that nowadays profound changes unseen in a century are evolving rapidly in the world and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is far-reaching, presenting severe challenges for the recovery of the global economy.

All countries in the world need to strengthen openness and cooperation in science and technology, explore ways and means of jointly solving important global issues through sci-tech innovation, address the challenges of the times together, and promote the noble cause of peace and development for all, said Xi.

He emphasized that the development of science and technology must have a global vision, grasp the pulse of the times, and closely follow the new requirements by the production and life of mankind.

Xi said that China attaches great importance to sci-tech innovation and is committed to promoting global cooperation in sci-tech innovation.

China will strengthen international sci-tech exchanges with a more open attitude, and actively participate in global innovation networks to jointly promote basic research and push forward the application of sci-tech achievements, so as to foster new growth momentum for economic development, he said.

China will strengthen intellectual property rights protection, and create a first-class innovation ecosystem. China will also shape the concept of developing science and technology for good purposes, improve global sci-tech governance, and enhance the well-being of mankind, he added.

He noted that Zhongguancun is China's first national independent innovation demonstration zone, and the ZGC Forum is a state-level platform for global sci-tech innovation exchanges and cooperation.

China supports Zhongguancun in carrying out a new round of pilot reforms, speeding up the construction of a world-leading sci-tech park, and making new contributions to promoting global sci-tech innovation exchanges and cooperation, he said.

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2021 shows a scene of the opening ceremony of the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing, capital of China. The 2021 Zhongguancun Forum, which opened here on Friday under the theme of "intelligence, health, and carbon neutrality," is scheduled from Sept. 24 to 28. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

With a theme of "intelligence, health and carbon neutrality," the forum this year is jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the Beijing municipal government.

Zhongguancun, now known as China's "Silicon Valley," used to be an obscure village before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Thanks to the country's strategic distribution of science and education resources, the small village in the Chinese capital of Beijing ushered in a golden era of tech innovations.

In May 1950, Beijing's northwestern suburb was designated as the city's major cultural and educational hub, with scores of colleges and research institutions established. Six years later, nascent technologies and research into cutting-edge tech, including atomic bombs, semiconductors, laser technology and electronic computers, began to take off in the techno-centric area.

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2021 shows a scene of the opening ceremony of the 2021 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing, capital of China. The 2021 Zhongguancun Forum, which opened here on Friday under the theme of "intelligence, health, and carbon neutrality," is scheduled from Sept. 24 to 28. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

Officially established in 1988 in northwest Beijing, Zhongguancun became China's first national high-tech industrial development zone.

Over the years Zhongguancun saw rapid development, with the mushrooming of about 200 business incubators, over 700 industrial alliances, industry associations and private non-enterprise units as well as nearly 1,400 venture capital institutions for start-ups by the end of 2020, along with the advent of thousands of supporting institutions covering legal consultation, accounting and intellectual property services.

In 2020 alone, Zhongguancun registered more than 26,000 new high-tech enterprises, up 8.9 percent compared to five years ago.

Currently, Beijing is striving to build itself into an international tech innovation center, with Zhongguancun taking the lead. Innovation in all its myriad forms as well as start-ups are enjoying their burgeoning momentum of development in Zhongguancun, which are expected to further boost the country's high-quality economic growth.