China hosts 25 of the world's top 100 innovation clusters, more than any other economy, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization's 2026 rankings. Value added in high-tech manufacturing rose 13.3 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

　　Speaking at a dialogue in Beijing in October, former New Zealand prime minister Jenny Shipley linked China's resilience to sustained investment, its strategic focus and the ability to adjust as circumstances changed.

　　China's development had involved pauses and changes of direction, she said, but long-term planning and disciplined implementation had helped it maintain momentum.

　　She singled out research and development, saying China had directed funding toward priority areas and encouraged collaborative innovation.

　　China's R&D spending rose 8.2 percent to about 3.93 trillion yuan ($590 billion) in 2025, equivalent to 2.8 percent of GDP, according to figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Oct 16.

　　Shipley said earlier infrastructure investment had also helped prepare the ground for artificial intelligence platforms and applications, creating the foundations for new economic activity.

　　The speed of China's transformation into a high-tech economy — within roughly a generation and a half — had surprised some Europeans, said Slawomir Majman, deputy director of the Institute of Security and International Development in Poland.

　　"It's a cognitive shock," he told China Daily.

　　Some European industries had assumed their technological lead would endure and invested too little in research and development, he said. They had failed to prepare adequately for technological change.