Government officials, industry insiders and scholars called for proprietary technologies and innovation during the fifth Annual Conference on Asian Manufacturing held from Nov 19 to 20.

Zhang Meiying, vice-chairwoman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said Chinese companies should not "just introduce, follow and copy" what foreign rivals have done.

"Proprietary intellectual property is the real competitiveness and the key to survival in the global economic crisis," she said.

Renowned economist Li Yining noted that creativity is the heart of manufacturing.

(Source: China Daily)