Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for accelerated efforts to achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and leverage sci-tech innovation to underpin and drive Chinese modernization.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at a meeting in Beijing that brought together the national science and technology award conference, the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and the 11th national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology.
He said the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is a critical phase for tackling tough challenges in building up the country’s strength in science and technology.
“We must seize the historic opportunity, rise to the challenges of the times, accelerate efforts to achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and make steady progress toward the 2035 goal of becoming a leading country in science and technology,” he said.
At the meeting, Xi presented China’s top sci-tech award for the year 2025 to Chen Liquan, a researcher at the Institute of Physics under the CAS and a CAE academician, and Ben De, a researcher at the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and also a CAE academician. After presenting the medals and certificates to the two scientists, Xi shook hands with them and extended his congratulations.
Xi and other Party and state leaders, together with the two top-award winners, presented certificates to representatives of recipients of other awards.
Li Qiang presided over the meeting. Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi and Li Xi attended the meeting. Ding Xuexiang announced the award decision.
Xi noted that China is now accelerating its transition from a global participant and contributor in science and technology to a pioneer and leader, and has become one of the countries with the fastest growing innovation capacity.
Over the past two years, China has achieved a string of remarkable sci-tech breakthroughs, including Chang’e-6 completing humanity’s first-ever sample return from the moon’s far side, smart robots and drones making strides in both R&D and industrial application, innovative drugs leaping from imitation and follow-on research to world-first development, as well as domestically-bred crop varieties covering over 95 percent of the country’s farmland.
But Xi also pointed out that China still faces gaps in original innovation capacity, an imbalanced talent structure, and inefficient use of science and technology investment, which demand serious attention and resolution.
He stressed that the new round of sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation is profoundly changing the way humanity produces and lives, as well as the landscape of global development.
“We must adapt to the new situation and requirements, take more forceful measures to address the problems existing in China’s sci-tech development, and make every effort to ensure the implementation of the various arrangements made by the Party Central Committee on sci-tech undertakings,” he said.
Xi called for further strengthening of coordination in sci-tech strategic planning, policies and measures, major tasks, research strength, resource platforms, and regional innovation. “We should improve the mechanisms for deploying and organizing major national sci-tech innovation tasks, and strengthen the self-sufficiency for sci-tech infrastructure,” he said.
Major projects should be planned holistically across frontier fields like AI, quantum tech and life sciences, in priority sectors such as integrated circuits and advanced manufacturing, as well as in strategic domains, including deep sea, deep space, and deep earth, he noted.
Xi emphasized the need to promote the deep integration of sci-tech innovation with industrial innovation, opening up channels for accelerating the transformation of sci-tech achievements into real productive forces.
“Sci-tech innovation should highlight an application-oriented approach, while industrial innovation should raise scientific questions. We must strengthen the national technology transfer system, create diversified application scenarios and high-level industrial clusters, and facilitate the promotion, application and iterative upgrading of self-developed technologies and products,” he said.
Xi also called for improving the intellectual property protection system and building a financial system compatible with sci-tech innovation.
When speaking of cultivating young sci-tech talents, Xi pointed out that research should be integrated with education, and greater support should be provided to researchers to help them overcome practical challenges.
Efforts should be made to identify and nurture the teenagers’ interests, specialties, scientific literacy and experimental skills, inspiring more promising youth to pursue careers in science and technology, he said.
Xi stressed the need to boost the effectiveness of innovation investment. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China’s total R&D spending grew by an average of 10 percent annually, which was no small feat.
“Yet in practice, problems such as wasteful spending and inefficient duplication in investment still persist to varying degrees,” he noted, calling for improving systems and management to ensure that every penny is not only spent right but spent well to match greater investment with greater efficiency.
He said that enterprises should be encouraged to increase their R&D spending, and broader social resources should be mobilized to support sci-tech innovation.
Xi pointed out that it is necessary to deepen reforms on sci-tech evaluation, making it a good “conductor’s baton.” Project reviews, institutional assessments, and talent evaluations should all be guided by innovation capability, quality, actual effect, and contribution.
He stressed the need to strengthen governance of sci-tech ethics and security. “Science and technology should pursue positive and ethical progress, maintain security and controllability, and deliver benefits to the people,” he said.
Ethical standards and guidelines for key areas should be clarified, and the assessment, monitoring and early warning, as well as emergency response of sci-tech security risks, should be enhanced, he added.
Xi urged the CAS and the CAE to rally the nation’s scientific community to keep abreast of the new sci-tech revolution and scale new heights in global science, while requiring the China Association for Science and Technology to go all out to serve researchers, innovation-driven development, public scientific literacy enhancement and sound policymaking by the Party and government.
Li Qiang pointed out that Xi’s important speech fully affirmed the nation’s major scientific achievements in recent years, analyzed the new situation facing sci-tech development and laid out clear requirements for implementing the Party Central Committee’s plans for sci-tech development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
Wednesday’s meeting honored 258 projects and 11 scientific and technological experts. Among them, 51 projects received the State Natural Science Award, 58 projects the State Technological Invention Award, and 149 projects the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award.
In addition to the two recipients of the top award, nine foreign experts were conferred the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.