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Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Keywords

regional development；strategy；roadmap；Chinese Academy of Sciences；ecological civilization；“lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”；2050

Document Type

Review and Outlook on Concept "Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains Are Invaluable Assets" at Its 20th Anniversary: Scientific Connotation, Strategic Value, and Case Study-Strategic Value

Abstract

In 2007, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) pioneered China’s 2050 science and technology development strategy and roadmap research, published the “Innovation 2050” strategic research series in 2009. The Regional Development Research in China: A Roadmap to 2050 (hereafter referred as to Roadmap) was one of these 19 reports. This study evaluates the implementation effectiveness of CAS’s regional sustainable development initiatives since publication through the lens of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Ecological Civilization particularly the “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” (two mountains) concept, while concurrently assessing the Roadmap’s strategic research outcomes. Key findings include the followings. (1) The strategic research conducted by the CAS on the S&T development roadmap towards 2050 represents a pioneering initiative in ultra-long-term S&T planning. The designation of regional development as an independent strategic domain marked an unprecedented innovation in China’s scientific planning framework. (2) The research prioritized addressing critical national strategic needs, focusing on fundamental issues including territorial ecological security, transnational regional cooperation, low-carbon economic transition, and global financial system restructuring, thereby establishing a forward-looking framework for new territorial spatial systems and global development patterns. (3) In alignment with emerging ecological civilization paradigm, the study proposed three integrated research themes: the formation and evolution of territorial functions, urbanization forecasting and regulation, and ecological compensation mechanisms and pathways. These themes maintain strong conceptual coherence and enduring relevance for achieving Chinese modernization by 2050. (4) While the strategy included comprehensive deployments in theoretical foundations, platform development, and talent cultivation–with CAS establishing one platform and one support system–several implementation challenges emerged. First, institutional reforms and research paradigm shift disrupted the Roadmap’s continuity, weakening the strategic position of regional development research. Second, insufficient long-term input in regional studies has constrained scientific support for current priorities such as high-level environmental protection enabling quality development and context-specific cultivation of new productive forces. Third, discontinued support for integrated research themes and platform development has hindered CAS’s ability to strengthen fundamental scientific capabilities for national regional strategies, creating a growing disparity with escalating central government demands for regional S&T solutions. The study concludes by advocating for renewed focus on the Roadmap’s insights, proposing targeted research organization around Chinese modernization priorities, enhanced scientific implementation pathways for the two mountains concept, systematic research coordination, and development of an autonomous innovation system to reestablish regional sustainability studies as a core component of CAS’s national strategic scientific capabilities, thereby contributing to China’s ecological civilization construction and high-quality development.

First page

1248

Last Page

1263

Language

Chinese

Publisher

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences

References

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