Great emphasis has recently been placed on the need for innovation in China. At the annual session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of innovation-driven development for accelerating the transformation of China's economic growth pattern and solving deep-rooted problems.

But how can innovation be cultivated? How can individual and collective minds be freed of the stale hallways of repetitive habit? And how can it be ensured that creative ideas are heard and heeded in public decision-making processes?

From my experience in other countries, each piloting its own way forward, I have observed that innovation springs from many sources. It stems from a well-rounded education system, which combines knowledge acquisition with problem solving skills. It emerges from the socio-cultural and political space for individuals and groups to express their views and ideas openly. This includes space within hierarchical and bureaucratic relationships - where one's contribution is valued as much, if not more, than one's rank and status, and it includes social space in the sense that the society values innovation.