Recently, China took back a crown from the United States, and the Chinese supercomputer "Lingsheng" successfully topped the TOP500 list of global supercomputers.
This is the latest example of China’s continued advancement in innovation capabilities.
Many people lament that China’s explosive power of innovation is getting stronger and stronger. But have you ever thought about where this confidence for continuous breakthroughs comes from?
The answer may lie in the three circles mentioned by Premier Li Qiang at the 2026 Summer Davos Forum. The three circles are the Yangtze River Delta Electronic Information 1-hour Innovation Circle, Chongqing Motorcycle Industry Circle 1-hour, and Shenzhen Robot Valley Half-hour Supporting Circle.
Don’t underestimate these three circles, as many unicorn companies have emerged from them.
Wei Qijia, a researcher at the National Information Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, told Sanlihe that the three major circles appear to be industrial layouts in different regions and fields, but in fact they build a complete logical system of industrial development with clear layers and staggered development, which highlights the professional, differentiated and characteristic development characteristics of China's industrial clusters.
From an internal logic point of view, the three circles, each with its own focus and mutual support, constitute a complete closed loop of China's industrial innovation.
Let’s first look at the Yangtze River Delta Electronic Information One-Hour Innovation Circle. It can be said to be the “brain” of China’s industrial upgrading, representing the source of breakthrough from 0 to 1.
In this circle, top universities, scientific research institutes, high-end R&D teams, and leading scientific and technological innovation companies are highly concentrated. The unique location advantage and collaborative mechanism have opened up the entire link from basic research, technical research to achievement transformation.
Here, cutting-edge ideas are implemented on-site, technological research is promoted on-site, and innovative results are transformed on-site, which greatly reduces the time cost and capital cost of innovation trial and error, and continuously delivers core technologies and cutting-edge results to high-end industries across the country.
Looking at the Chongqing 1-hour industrial circle, it can be said to be the "trunk" of China's industrial development, responsible for the scale formation from 1 to N.
Zhang Xue's motorcycle, which has become popular all over the world, is the best example. An ordinary entrepreneur can stand on the podium of the world's top motorcycle events, which is inseparable from Chongqing's mature and complete industrial ecology.
As a long-established "motorcycle capital", Chongqing has gathered hundreds of complete vehicle and core component supporting companies. In the 1-hour industry circle, from core components such as engine electronic control, precision gears, and frame shock absorption to supporting services such as exterior accessories and vehicle tuning, the entire chain of resources is readily available and ready for use. R&D modeling, rapid prototyping, performance testing, and vehicle mass production can complete the entire process without leaving the circle.
Finally, look at the half-hour supporting circle of Shenzhen Robot Valley. It can be said to be the "end" of China's industrial competition, responsible for the rapid empowerment of extreme efficiency.
Here, upstream and downstream companies live side by side and develop together, with seamless connections between R&D, proofing, testing, and mass production, forming an industry rhythm of extremely rapid iteration.
This extremely compact, highly efficient and interconnected industrial ecology allows cutting-edge technologies to be quickly implemented, quickly optimized, and rapidly upgraded. It builds China's manufacturing efficiency advantages that are difficult to replicate in other countries. It is also the key to our continued leadership in high-end manufacturing.
In fact, there are many such circles, such as the Yangtze River Delta New Energy Vehicle 4-hour Industry Circle, to name a few.
If you understand these circles, you will understand the complete logic of China's industrial innovation.
In Wei Qijia’s view, the Yangtze River Delta Electronic Information One-Hour Innovation Circle focuses on cutting-edge scientific and technological innovation empowerment, focusing on technology research and development, innovation breakthroughs and achievement transformation, and is a typical representative of innovation-driven industrial upgrading. Chongqing Motorcycle 1-Hour Industrial Circle is based on the traditional advantageous manufacturing industry, relies on industrial agglomeration to achieve efficient upstream and downstream collaboration, and consolidates the foundation for the development of the real economy. The Shenzhen Robot Valley half-hour supporting circle focuses on high-end emerging industries and adapts to the rapid iteration needs of emerging industries with extremely efficient supporting response capabilities.
What do these three circles mean to China?
Wei Qijia believes that for the Chinese economy, this type of circle model has opened up a complete link of innovation, production, and supporting facilities, continued to cultivate high-quality market entities, activated new productive forces, and continued to stabilize the resilience and competitiveness of the industrial chain and supply chain.
The three circles carry the core code for the high-quality development of China’s industries. It has allowed countless high-tech enterprises and specialized “little giants” to emerge, and it has also continued to attract global innovation resources to China.
What do these three circles mean to the world?
A good ecology makes China a testing ground for innovation in the world. Today, a change is quietly taking place, with foreign companies shifting from "producing in China" to "creating in China."
More and more foreign companies are setting up R&D centers and regional headquarters in China, and are deeply integrated into China's innovation and industrial chains. In 2025, 14,000 new foreign-funded enterprises will be established in the fields of scientific and technological research and technical services, a year-on-year increase of 27.2%.
Kallinson, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, told Sanlihe that the previous R&D strategy of "in China, for China" has been upgraded to "in China, for the world." Our R&D team in China works closely with teams in Germany and other regions around the world, leveraging China's innovation ecosystem and cooperating with leading technology partners. These can not only meet the needs of Chinese customers, but also become our advantage in serving the global market.
In China, foreign companies can not only enjoy greater "market dividends", but also more "innovation dividends." Here they can quickly find full-process partners from R&D, trial production to mass production, making innovation more efficient and easier.
Wei Qijia pointed out that for the world economy, the development model of industrial clusters with Chinese characteristics provides a mature model for the coordinated development of global industries. At the same time, with stable and efficient industrial supply capabilities, it continues to inject impetus into the stability of the global industrial chain and the recovery of the world economy.
