China in the age of disruptive innovation

Jeong Kim, President Alcatel-Lucent Bell Laboratories, USA shares his thoughts from the Annual Meeting of the New Champions. 

Today has been a great day at the Summer Davos! All of my discussions have focused on the theme of innovation and how it relates to the main theme "Mastering Quality Growth".
I really believe that quality growth means innovative growth from a social and human perspective.  We should use technology to improve our lives. It must be smart and sustainable.
I look with excitement how China is mastering  innovation and particularly the leap to disruptive innovation.  It is a recognition that the market is changing rapidly. And China is responding with a pace of disruptive innovation.  The Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in his opening comments to Forum participants understood innovation is what allows sustainable growth in China. It is about people first- human capital which all interplays in the field of innovation.  

In my other discussions with Young Scientists, we spoke about scientists in a flat world. I believe that in today's information age, young scientists need to use social networks more.  We need to reward science at a younger age. And finally, research  must be global (leveraging the global brain power) but development can be localized to stimulate local growth.  

Innovation can happen anywhere but thinking globally will have a greater impact, especially for disruptive innovation.   

I have been very impressed by both my discussions today and China's progress and determination to innovate.  And I look forward to continuing these discussions in my panel "Growth through Science" and with conference participants tomorrow.