CGTN News – China has accelerated science and technology innovation over the past five years, the country’s science and technology minister Yin Hejun said at a State Council Information Office press conference on Tuesday.
In 2025, China’s R&D spending exceeded 3.92 trillion yuan, or 2.8% of GDP, surpassing the OECD average for the first time. China has ranked first globally for years in PCT international patent applications and high-level international journal papers. It has also built the world’s largest education system and the world’s largest R&D workforce.
Major breakthroughs span multiple fields. The “Jiuzhang” quantum computer series has repeatedly set world records. Its latest generation, the Jiuzhang 4.0, demonstrated “quantum computational advantage” on a specific mathematical task, solving it over 10 to the power of 54 times faster than the world’s fastest supercomputer.
The Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter, still operational, captured rare images of an interstellar object in 2025, while the newly launched Tianwen-2 is en route to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid. Tianwen-3 is planned for a Mars sample-return mission around 2031.
Progress was also made in chips, open-weight large AI models, new energy vehicles, robots, innovative drugs and new crop varieties. China now ranks ninth worldwide in national innovation capability and is one of the fastest-rising innovators, Yin said.
The 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is a key stage in building a powerhouse in science and technology, Yin told reporters. The ministry will prioritize strategic, original basic research, support young scientists, diversify funding and strengthen research platforms.
It will tackle core technologies in AI, quantum tech and chips. It will promote demand-driven industrial innovation, with enterprises leading collaboration among industry, universities and research institutes, and speed up commercialization. It will also improve people’s livelihoods through advances in health, agriculture and the environment, and strengthen links between education, science and talent so young researchers can take the lead.
China will continue to support joint research on global challenges such as climate and energy, take part in international science programs, and encourage international science organizations to set up branches in China. The country is fast turning from a participant in global science to a pioneer and leader, Yin said.
