Beijing, October 5, 2024 – The Europe Today: The successful launch of the final two satellites for China’s BeiDou-3 Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) in September marked the completion of the country’s independently developed satellite navigation system, a project backed by continuous support from President Xi Jinping. Xi, who also serves as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, has played an integral role in the program’s development, emphasizing its significance in China’s technological advancement and national modernization.
President Xi has consistently followed the progress of the BDS-3 program, visiting satellite launch sites, offering encouragement to the scientists and technicians involved, and formally announcing the system’s commissioning. In addition, he recognized the system’s achievement as one of China’s key milestones in his annual New Year messages.
Xi has advocated for the widespread application of BeiDou across various sectors, highlighting its potential to contribute to China’s economic and social development. Today, BeiDou is a standard feature in consumer products such as smartphones and wearable devices. In the first half of 2024, more than 98 percent of China’s 139 million smartphone shipments supported BeiDou positioning, reflecting its integration into daily life and industrial applications.
This achievement exemplifies China’s drive toward modernization, underpinned by advancements in science and technology. Xi has repeatedly stressed the importance of innovation as a pillar of high-quality development. During a recent meeting with China’s scientific community in June, Xi underscored the necessity of sci-tech innovation for driving modernization.
Under his leadership, China has made significant strides in global innovation rankings, moving to 11th place in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) 2024 Global Innovation Index. China also leads in technological clusters, with 26 of the world’s top 100 sci-tech innovation hubs based in the country.
President Xi’s focus on integrating technological innovation with industrial development has also been reflected in sectors like new energy vehicles (NEVs). Since 2014, when Xi visited SAIC Motor and called for innovation in new energy cars, China has rapidly advanced in the electric vehicle market. As of August 2024, NEV sales outpaced traditional vehicles, achieving a 53.9 percent penetration rate in the domestic market. China also exported 818,000 NEVs in the first eight months of 2024, signaling its growing influence in international markets.
Beyond economic growth, President Xi has placed equal emphasis on the role of technology in green development. China has emerged as a global leader in renewable energy, with more than 40 percent of global renewable energy power generation capacity being installed in the country over the past decade. By 2023, this figure exceeded 50 percent, making China a central player in the transition to cleaner energy sources.
China’s renewable energy innovations, particularly in wind and solar power, have also contributed to significant cost reductions in these sectors globally. The continued breakthroughs in technologies, such as recent advancements in perovskite solar cells, promise to drive future progress in clean energy.
In line with his vision for a green economy, Xi has promoted China’s commitment to adjusting its industrial structure, boosting renewable energy production, and fostering international cooperation in green technologies. During a recent symposium, Xi noted increasing interest from African countries in collaborating with China on wind and photovoltaic power, signaling the global impact of China’s green energy leadership.
As the BeiDou system comes to fruition and China continues its march toward technological modernization, President Xi’s focus on innovation and sustainability remains at the core of the nation’s development agenda.
