State, university and industry: the evaluation of their contributions to China’s recent economic growth

Abstract In pursuit of becoming an innovative country by 2049, for the centennial of the People’s Republic of China, the recent Chinese economic growth is impressive and gives this nation the prediction of occupying the position of first world economy by 2030. This performance has aroused an interest in understanding how the relationship between the State, university, and industry has contributed to such economic development. To this end, this exploratory research made use of bibliographic, documental, and field research (interviews and questionnaire application). The data were analyzed using theoretical content analysis, with theoretical categories derived from the Triple Helix Theory and Knowledge Transfer. The findings indicate that this is a virtuous relationship that occurs asymmetrically with a State with multiple responsibilities and committed to the driving forces of economic development, oscillating between a “strong state” and an “effective state”.