China's expenditure on research and development (R&D) reported 2.17 trillion yuan over the past year, accounting for 2.19 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), official data showed Tuesday.
The contribution rate of scientific and technological progress to economic growth reached 59.5 percent last year, Wang Zhigang, minister of Science and Technology, told a press conference held by the State Council Information Office.
Dtat from the World Intellectual Property Organization showed that China ranked 14th in the 2019 Global Innovation Index.
China's epidemic prevention and control as well as work resumption witnessed positve achievements under the support of science and technology amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, Wang noted.
China has shared COVID-19 scientific outcomes as well as prevention and control strategies with the world in a timely manner, Wang said, adding that the country actively shared scientific information with the World Health Organization once the COVID-19 virus strain was isolated.
China recently has 225,000 high-tech enterprises and more than 151,000 small and medium sized technological firms.
