Press conference on guiding principles of the 4th plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee

Mo Gaoyi:

Thank you, Mr. Zheng. Now, let's invite Mr. Yin to provide an introduction about scientific and technological innovation during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

Yin Hejun:

Media friends, I will provide a brief introduction focusing on strengthening sci-tech innovation and developing new quality productive forces.

The 20th CPC National Congress proposed the strategic goal of building a leading country in science and technology by 2035. It was stated at the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee that we should achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and steer the development of new quality productive forces. This is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, based on a profound understanding of both domestic and international development trends and an accurate grasp of the laws of sci-tech, economic and social development.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's scientific and technological strength reached a new level. Fruitful gains were made in sci-tech innovation, while new quality productive forces developed steadily. All these achievements have laid a solid foundation for economic and social development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period. China's research and development (R&D) expenditure exceeded 3.6 trillion yuan in 2024, up 48% compared to 2020. The number of high-level academic papers published in international journals and international patent applications has ranked first in the world for five consecutive years. China's global ranking for comprehensive innovation capability rose from 14th in 2020 to 10th in 2024. The integration of sci-tech innovation with industrial innovation has accelerated. The value added by high-tech manufacturing enterprises above designated size increased 42% compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. New economic growth drivers have been emerging in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, new energy and biotechnology. Sci-tech innovation has brought us bluer skies and cleaner waters, better securing the health of our people and increasing their sense of gain, fulfillment and security.

Looking ahead to the next five years, the recommendations have stated that Chinese modernization must be underpinned by sci-tech modernization. In the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we should seize the historic opportunity of the new round of sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation. We will pursue coordinated development to build China into a leading country in education, science and technology, and human resources. We will also boost the overall effectiveness of the national innovation system, comprehensively strengthen innovation capacity, accelerate high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, and lead the development of new quality productive forces. The recommendations have made four arrangements in this regard.

First, we should promote advances in original innovation and breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields. We will improve the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide and promote decisive breakthroughs in core technologies across the entire chain in priority fields such as integrated circuits, industrial machine tools and high-end instruments. We will prioritize national strategic needs by deploying a series of major national sci-tech tasks. Moreover, we will strengthen strategic, forward-looking and systematic planning in basic research and increase long-term stable support. Additionally, we will emphasize original innovation in scientific research and technological development and generate more landmark original achievements.

Second, we should facilitate the deep integration of sci-tech and industrial innovation. We will boost China's strength in strategic science and technology in a coordinated manner and enhance the country's capacity to achieve systematic breakthroughs. We will step up efforts to ensure self-sufficiency in scientific and technological infrastructure, improve the development of the regional innovation system, accelerate the efficient transformation and application of major scientific and technological achievements, and bolster intellectual property rights protection. We will reinforce the dominant role of enterprises in sci-tech innovation by supporting them in leading the formation of innovation consortia and undertaking more national sci-tech tasks to achieve breakthroughs. We will cultivate and expand leading sci-tech enterprises, support the development of high-tech enterprises and technology-based small- and medium-sized enterprises, and raise the proportion of additional tax deductions for enterprise R&D expenses. We will also foster a culture of innovation, creating an open and globally competitive innovation ecosystem.

Third, we should promote the coordinated development of education, science and technology, and human resources. We will establish and refine a coordinated mechanism for integrated advancement, strengthening planning alignment, policy coordination, resource allocation and evaluation linkage. We will cultivate talents in a coordinated manner to meet the needs of sci-tech innovation, industrial development and national strategies. More efforts will be made to build a strategic talent pool for the country. We will deepen reforms of project review, institute evaluation, talent appraisal, and income distribution, with evaluations focusing on innovation capability, performance, outcomes and contributions.

Fourth, we should further advance the Digital China initiative. We will build an open, shared and secure national integrated data market, facilitating the deep integration of the real economy with the digital economy. We will accelerate innovation in digital intelligence technologies, including AI, and enhance the efficient provision of computing power, algorithms and data. We will also comprehensively implement the "AI Plus" initiative to empower all sectors of the economy across the board.

We are confident that after five years of hard work, China will reach new heights in terms of sci-tech capabilities. Through sci-tech innovation, greater progress will be achieved in developing new quality productive forces and promoting high-quality development, providing stronger support for Chinese modernization. Thank you.