Premier meets with group of innovators over coffee

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As Premier Li Keqiang raised his black mug of coffee at a 3W Cafe, a meeting place for budding entrepreneurs and angel investors in Zhongguancun, Beijing's technology hub in the Haidian district, he stopped to read the phrase printed on its side: "Life is limited, but zheteng is not."

Premier Li Keqiang shares a light moment with entrepreneurs at a 3W Cafe in Zhongguancun Science Park in Beijing on Thursday. [Photo/China Daily]

Premier Li Keqiang shares a light moment with entrepreneurs at a 3W Cafe in Zhongguancun Science Park in Beijing on Thursday. [Photo/China Daily]

"Ah, zheteng," he said, a Chinese term that means to toil and bustle around something that is likely futile. "That really sums up innovation."

Li's visit on Thursday to Inno Way, or the innovation street, to talk to startup businesspeople, is widely seen as a gesture to reaffirm the government's support for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Zhao Chuyu comes to the 3W Cafe regularly to pitch his sports app to potential investors. The app helps soccer players find teammates and play games. Zhao said thousands of soccer teams have registered on his app since his product went online last year.

"It's such a brilliant idea to connect scattered soccer players," Li said. "We never knew the public needs such services, but the market knows. Trust the market. That is the essence of public innovation."

Inno Way, in Zhongguancun Haidian Science Park, was home to more than 12,000 technological companies by the end of 2013, with the aim of becoming a globally influential hub of innovation.

The street also provides entrepreneurs with free training, where budding businesspeople can analyze case-by-case business decisions and prevent mistakes in the future.

"Entrepreneurship is not a privilege of a small number of people but the choice of many," the premier said. "And ethics is an important part of the innovative spirit."

Wang Yuanzhi, former chief of the small and medium-sized enterprises department at the National Development and Reform Commission, said Li's visit was in line with his consistent support for small businesses and encouraging innovation among the public. And it signals the government will support startup businesses and help them develop in the right way, with a high level of ethics and stable sources of funding.

Yu Jun, acting chief of Haidian district and former chairman of Zhongguancun Development Group, said the government has striven to create a better platform for entrepreneurs and shape a better environment for entrepreneurship and innovation. "It is a golden age for entrepreneurs," he said.

The premier has been a supporter of innovation since he took office in 2013. He has striven to cut red tape, give tax refunds to small businesses and startup businesses, in a bid to boost entrepreneurship.

A State Council executive meeting presided over by Li in December decided to introduce the preferential policies for independent innovation in Zhongguancun to more pilot areas.

Wang said such policies have eased the way for small businesses, but a greater positive impact will only be possible if the policies could be adopted for a long time, and more private businesses are allowed to enter the monopolistic sectors.

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