At the beginning of 2018, the State Council approved the “Shanghai 2035” Urban Master Plan, according to which Shanghai’s positioning will change from “Four Centers” to “Five Centers” (international economic center, international financial center, international shipping center, international trade center and international science and technology innovation center). President Xi Jinping proposed in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the First China International Import Expo to set up the science and technology innovation board and launch the pilot program of the registration system on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and support building Shanghai into an international financial center and a science and technology innovation center. Both of these reflect the strategic significance of scientific and technological innovation in building Shanghai into a leading global city in the future, constructing a world-class city cluster with global influence in the Yangtze River Delta, and promoting China’s high-quality development. In such context, Professor Liu Zhibiao, Dean of Yangtze IDEI, held in-depth discussions with relevant experts and scholars on issues such as how Shanghai should comprehensively enhance its influence and competitiveness in the global urban system, whether Shanghai is qualified to build itself into an international science and technology innovation center, and how it should build itself into such a center.
