ABSTRACT
The national innovation systems (NIS) refer to a complex of “important economic, social, political, organizational, institutional and other factors that influence the development, diffusion and use of innovations”. The focus is to explore the significance of the role played by Chinese universities and their interaction with four helices, namely, industry, government, business enterprises and civil society. A series of important policy reforms over the past two decades has enabled China's national innovation systems to achieve a significant world-class research and innovation system in the world. The diversification of China's national innovation systems since the 1990s has created the necessary vitality for the system and both the universities and the industrial sectors have become the most important players. In a period of little more than two decades, a select band of Chinese universities attained the status of world-class universities and at the same time forged important links with business enterprises, some of which have become Chinese multinational enterprises.
