Steady Improvement of Innovation Momentum to Lay a Solid Foundation for a Great Power in Science and Technology

Steady Improvement of Innovation Momentum to Lay a Solid Foundation for a Great Power in Science and Technology

—Series Report IV on Achievements in Economic and Social Development during the 14th Five-Year Plan Period

Source: Website of the National Bureau of Statistics, June 2, 2026

　　The 14th Five-Year Plan period marked a five-year period of milestone significance in the development of China’s science and technology undertakings. All localities and government departments have thoroughly implemented the innovation-driven development strategy, promoting a significant enhancement of China’s scientific and technological strength and a remarkable improvement in the overall effectiveness of the national innovation system. Scientific and technological innovation has become a key factor and an important engine supporting China’s high-quality development.

　　I. Reform of the Scientific and Technological System and Mechanism Advanced in Depth, with Innovation Ecosystem Comprehensively Optimized

　　(I) The More Sound and Powerful Policy Support System for Scientific and Technological Innovation 

　　During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China has made major adjustments to its science and technology management system. The CPC Central Committee has established the Central Science and Technology Commission, strengthening the overall planning level in terms of strategic planning, policy measures, major tasks, scientific research forces, resource platforms, and regional innovation from the institutional mechanism. The coordination between science and technology policies and those in finance, taxation, and finance has become more efficient, forming an innovation support pattern with full-chain efforts. Fiscal investment in science and technology has been continuously increased. In 2025, the national fiscal expenditures on science and technology exceeded RMB 1.2 trillion, a 9.5% increase compared with the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan. In recent years, its proportion in national fiscal expenditures stably remained above 4.0%. Tax incentives for scientific and technological innovation have been implemented at an accelerated pace. The policy for additional pre-tax deductions for R&D expenses of enterprises has continuously expanded its scope of application, increased the deduction ratio, and simplified the declaration process. In 2025, the total tax cuts, fee reductions, and tax refunds from the main preferential policies supporting scientific and technological innovation and the development of the manufacturing industry exceeded RMB 2.8 trillion. The science and technology finance system has been further improved, forming a “combination punch” of science and technology finance policies. The capital market has gradually grown. From 2021 to September 2025, 376 enterprises were listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board for the first time, raising more than RMB 600 billion in initial public offerings. The intensity of bank credit has been continuously increased. The growth rate of the loan balances of science-and-technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises and high-tech enterprises is much higher than that of other types of loans. In 2025, the re-loans for scientific and technological innovation and technological transformation reached RMB 800 billion.

　　(II) The Continuous Improvement of National Strategic Scientific and Technological Strength

　　During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, a strategic scientific and technological strength system, led by national laboratories and supported by national research institutions, high-level research-oriented universities, and leading science and technology enterprises, has basically taken shape. National laboratories have fully entered a new stage of physical operation. More than 500 national key laboratories have completed reorganization and taken the lead in carrying out research on key core technologies. The basic capabilities of scientific and technological innovation of institutions at all levels have been continuously strengthened. A number of major national science and technology projects have been implemented, achieving important breakthroughs in fields such as deep-space exploration, deep-sea development, nuclear energy utilization, and high-end equipment. Higher education institutions are moving towards world-class university construction, achieving a series of breakthroughs in original basic theories and underlying technical principles. More than 75% of the National Natural Science Awards and Technological Invention Awards come from universities, and more than 50% of the National Science and Technology Progress Awards come from universities. Leading science and technology enterprises have emerged one after another. In 2025, 525 Chinese enterprises^[1] made it onto the list of the world’s top 2000 in industrial R&D investment, accounting for 26.3% of all listed enterprises, an increase of 65 compared with 2020. The average R&D investment intensity has increased from 3.7% to 4.0% ^[2].

　　(III) Significant Enhancement of the Governance Capacity of Scientific and Technological Innovation

China has continuously improved its science and technology laws and regulations system, optimized the management model, and improved the supervision mechanism, promoting the modernization of the scientific and technological innovation governance system and governance capacity. It has revised and improved core laws and regulations such as the Law on Scientific and Technological Progress and the Law on Promoting the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements, issued a series of science and technology reform policies, and strengthened the full-chain protection of intellectual property rights, providing solid legal protection for scientific and technological innovation activities. It has advanced in depth the reform of the management and evaluation mechanisms of scientific research projects, comprehensively implemented new organizational models such as the “opening competition mechanism to select the best candidates” and the “horse-racing” system; given researchers greater autonomy in using funds, simplified management processes, and reduced administrative burdens; and resolutely eliminated the tendency of “only focusing on four indicators,” promoting scientific research evaluation to return to the essence of innovation. It has established and improved the review and supervision mechanism for scientific and technological ethics, promoted the long-term construction of scientific research integrity, cultivated and created a scientific research environment that advocates innovation, honesty, and integrity, comprehensively improved the standardization level of scientific and technological innovation governance, and adopted a “zero-tolerance” attitude towards academic misconduct and ethical violations.

　　II. Investment in Scientific and Technological Innovation Continuously Increased, with Innovation Support Capacity Continuously Improved

　　(I) R&D Investment Continuously Increased

　　The scale and intensity of China’s investment in research and experimental development (R&D) have been steadily increasing, providing a fundamental guarantee for enhancing the vitality of scientific and technological innovation across society. China’s gross domestic expenditures on R&D have increased from RMB 2.4 trillion in 2020 to RMB 3.9 trillion in 2025^[3], ranking second in the world. The average annual growth rate has reached 10.0%, leading that of the world’s major economies. The intensity of R&D expenditure^[4] has increased from 2.36% in 2020 to 2.80% in 2025, with an average annual increase of 0.09 percentage points, 0.02 percentage points higher than the average annual increase during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, maintaining a relatively rapid growth trend. In terms of international comparison, in 2025, China’s R&D expenditure intensity exceeded the average level of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries (2.70%) for the first time, making it one of the economies with the fastest-growing innovation capabilities in recent years.

　　(II) Development and Expansion of the Scientific and Technological Talent Team

　　China has continuously consolidated the scale advantage of its scientific and technological talent team, and achieved remarkable results in optimizing the structure. The talent dividend has become the underlying driving force for China’s scientific and technological innovation. Preliminary estimates show that in 2025, the full-time equivalent of R&D personnel in China was 7.95 million person-years, ranking first in the world for 13 consecutive years. In 2024, the full-time equivalent of R&D personnel per 10,000 employed people in China was 102.6 person-years, an increase of 33.1 person-years compared with 2020. The reserve of scientific and technological talent resources has become more abundant. In 2024, the number of graduated postgraduate students reached 1.084 million, a 48.7% increase compared with 2020. The layout of the talent echelon has become more reasonable. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, in the national key R&D programs, the proportion of young scientific and technological talents under 45 years old serving as project leaders was 43.3%. The number of highly cited Chinese scientists increased from 935 person-times in 2021 to 1406 person-times in 2025 ^[5], and the proportion in the global total increased from 14.2% to 19.7%, reflecting the accelerated pace of integrated development of education, science and technology, and professional talent.

　　(III) Remarkable Achievements in the Systematic Construction of Scientific and Technological Infrastructure

　　China has continuously promoted the construction of scientific and technological infrastructure and platforms, and the systematic advantages have been significantly enhanced. The clusters of major scientific and technological infrastructure have risen at an accelerated pace, with a number of large-scale scientific installations having been completed and deployed, yielding major original achievements and providing strong support for frontier exploration and industrial innovation. The “FAST” has discovered more than a thousand pulsars, far exceeding the total number discovered by other countries. The Spallation Neutron Source has solved the problem of non-destructive testing of large-scale equipment. The construction of facilities such as nuclear fusion and light sources has promoted the development and expansion of the superconducting industry. The level of open sharing of scientific data and resource platforms has been significantly improved. The national network management platform has included 147,000 sets of scientific research instruments with a unit price of more than RMB 500,000, which are open for sharing across society. The construction of the national scientific data centers has achieved remarkable results, providing strong data support for innovation and development. As of 2025, the total data volume of 20 centers has exceeded 270 PB, a fivefold increase compared with 2020, and the data resources have achieved leap-forward growth.

　　(IV) Continuous Consolidation of the Dominance of Enterprises in Innovation

　　Enterprises have become the key carriers for the in-depth integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. Enterprises have contributed more than 75% to the growth of gross domestic expenditures on R&D, and are the main driving force for the growth of China’s R&D expenditure. In 2025, the R&D expenditure of enterprises in China is expected to exceed RMB 3 trillion, accounting for more than 77% of gross domestic expenditures on R&D, approaching the level of major developed countries. Positive results have been achieved in the gradient cultivation of high-quality enterprises. In 2024, the number of high-tech enterprises in China exceeded 500,000, an 83% increase compared with 2020. There were 1,921 national-level enterprise (group) technology centers in operation, an increase of 285 compared with 2020. As of the end of 2025, more than 17,600 SRDI “little giant” enterprises and more than 1,800 manufacturing single-champion enterprises have been cultivated on a cumulative basis. Of the 1,523 unicorn enterprises worldwide, China accounted for 343, ranking second in the world ^[6].

　　III. The Continuous Emergence of Major Innovations and Further Promotion of Self-Reliance and Strength in Science and Technology

　　(I) A Series of Major Breakthroughs in Basic Research and Original Innovation

　　China has continuously increased its investment in basic research, and the capabilities of basic research and original innovation have been continuously enhanced. China’s expenditure for basic research grew rapidly, increasing from RMB 146.7 billion in 2020 to RMB 277.8 billion in 2025. The average annual growth rate from 2021 to 2025 reached 13.6%, outpacing the average annual growth rate of R&D expenditure by 3.6 percentage points. In 2025, the proportion of basic research in R&D expenditure reached a new level, exceeding 7% mark for the first time, an increase of 1.07 percentage points compared with 2020. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China achieved a number of major original achievements in fields such as quantum technology, space science, material science, and life science. The prototype of the “Zuchongzhi-3” quantum computer was successfully built, demonstrating the most powerful quantum computing superiority; the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory was completed and put into operation, with the measurement accuracy more than 1.5 times higher than the international best level; the “Tiangong” space station entered the stage of normal operation, and “Chang’e-6” completed the world’s first sample return from the far side of the moon; the first domestic low-temperature high-current ion implanter achieved the industrialization capability; the artificial synthesis of starch from carbon dioxide achieved “technological creation,” and the reprogramming of human cells was realized through the induction of small chemical molecules.

　　(II) Abundant Scientific Research Output

　　China’s scientific research strength has been steadily improved, making important contributions to global knowledge innovation. In 2023, the three major international retrieval tools, SCI, EI, and CPCI ^[7], respectively included 685,000, 457,000, and 28,000 scientific research papers from China, ranking first, first, and second in the world in terms of quantity. Both the quantity and quality of scientific and technological papers have improved. In 2024, China published 155,000 high-level international journal papers, accounting for 39.2% of the world’s total. The number of citations exceeded 1.01 million, and both the number of papers and the number of citations ranked first in the world ^[8]. The quantity and quality of patents have been steadily improved. In 2025, the number of authorized invention patents in China reached 972,000, accounting for 31.4% of the total number of authorized patents, an increase of 16.8 percentage points compared with 2020. By the end of 2025, the number of valid invention patents in China had reached 5.32 million, making China the first country to exceed 5 million valid invention patents. At the end of 2025, the number of high-value invention patents owned per 10,000 R&D personnel in China stood at 16, an increase of 9.7 compared with the end of 2020, successfully achieving the goal of the 14th Five-Year Plan.

　　(III) New Breakthroughs in Key Areas of Technological Research

　　China has continuously promoted research on key core technologies in key areas across the entire chain, effectively ensuring the security and resilience of China’s key industrial chains. In the field of integrated circuits, the industrial scale has continued to expand, forming a complete industrial chain from design, manufacturing to packaging, testing, equipment, and materials. The output of integrated circuits increased from 261.4 billion in 2020 to 484.3 billion in 2025, accelerating the process of domestic substitution. China has continued to create new competitive advantages in the industry. In the field of new energy, China has achieved a leap from catching up to leading. The world record for the efficiency of photovoltaic silicon crystal cells has been continuously broken. The newly installed capacity of photovoltaic and wind power has exceeded 100 million kilowatts for four consecutive years. By the end of 2025, the cumulative sales of new energy vehicles in China had exceeded 40 million, with both production and sales ranking first in the world for 11 consecutive years. In the field of artificial intelligence, a number of general-purpose large language models that rival the most advanced international standards have emerged in China, with the accuracy rate of some models exceeding 95 percent. In 2025, the scale of China’s core artificial intelligence industry exceeded RMB 1.2 trillion ^[9], with an intelligent application ecosystem spanning multiple fields established. In addition, China has actively planned and cultivated new tracks for future industries. For example, breakthroughs have been made in the overall technology of humanoid robots, and progress has been made in key technologies such as multi-modal perception and brain-cerebellum models, promoting in-depth integration with embodied intelligence and accelerating the application in scenarios such as automobile manufacturing and power inspection. Brain-computer interface has achieved a key leap from “laboratory theoretical exploration” to “preliminary clinical application.” While maintaining the global leading position in non-invasive technology, China has successfully achieved a “zero breakthrough” in the clinical application of invasive brain-computer interface, becoming the second country in the world to enter the clinical stage.

　　(IV) Remarkable Achievements in the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements

　　China’s technology market has developed rapidly, and scientific and technological achievements have accelerated circulation and spillover. In 2025, a total of 1.04 million technology contracts were signed in China, with a transaction value of RMB 7.6 trillion, maintaining rapid growth. The average value of the concluded contracts was RMB 7.282 million, an increase of RMB 2.145 million compared with 2020. The effectiveness of the transformation and utilization of intellectual property rights has been steadily improved. In 2025, the industrialization rate of enterprise invention patents in China was 54.0% ^[10], maintaining growth for five consecutive years. The average income per industrialized enterprise invention patent reached RMB 8.72 million. The scientific and technological innovation intermediary service institutions have developed rapidly. By the end of 2024, there were nearly 15,000 incubators across the country, with nearly 360,000 incubated enterprises. The total accumulated incubation funds had exceeded RMB 470 billion, providing professional scientific and technological services for entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises of different types and at different development stages.

　　IV. The Enhancement of the Leading Role of Scientific and Technological Innovation, with New Achievements Made in Serving High-Quality Development

　　(I) Accelerated Integration of Scientific and Technological Innovation and Industrial Innovation

Scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation are the basic paths for developing new quality productive forces. Over the past five years, China has continuously strengthened the research on key core technologies and the application of achievements, promoting the development of new quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation and contributing to the construction of a modern industrial system. The industry has moved towards high-end, intelligent, and green development. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, more than 340 industrial internet platforms were cultivated, with the number of industrial devices connected to key platforms exceeding 100 million units (or sets), and integrated applications achieving full coverage of all 41 major industrial categories. As of early 2026, China had built more than 35,000 basic-level, over 8,200 advanced-level, and more than 500 excellent-level smart factories ^[11], promoting integrated innovation in processes, equipment, and software. New industries and new products have developed rapidly. In 2024, the value added of China’s patent-intensive industries reached RMB 18.0 trillion, accounting for 13.4% of GDP, an increase of 1.4 percentage points compared with 2020. In 2024, China’s industrial enterprises above the designated size achieved a total sales revenue of new products of RMB 35.5 trillion, accounting for 25.7% of operating income, an increase of 3.4 percentage points compared with 2020, greatly enriching the product supply of the whole society. 

　　(II) The Accelerated Formation of a Landscape of Regionally Coordinated Innovation

　　China has continuously strengthened regional coordination and central-local collaboration, accelerating the development of a regional scientific and technological innovation landscape characterized by complementary strengths and coordinated development. China has strengthened the innovation source functions of the international scientific and technological innovation centers in Beijing, Shanghai, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and accelerated the establishment of regional collaborative mechanisms such as the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region and the integration of scientific and technological innovation in the Yangtze River Delta. The effects of resource agglomeration and spillover have been continuously released. It has also planned and built regional scientific and technological innovation centers in Chengdu-Chongqing, Wuhan, Xi’an, etc., significantly enhancing the radiation and driving ability in the central and western regions. The high-quality development of national high-tech zones has been promoted, forging strategic pillars for the regional innovation landscape. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the total number of national high-tech zones increased to 178, a 5.3% increase compared with 2020, nurturing trillion-level industrial clusters in areas such as the new-generation information technology sector and the science and technology services sector. Among the world’s top 100 innovation clusters, China accounted for 24, ranking first among all countries for three consecutive years. Among them, the “Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou” cluster ranked first in the world for the first time ^[12].

　　(III) Siginificant Effects of Innovation in Driving Transformation and Improving People’s Livelihoods

　　Scientific and technological innovation has effectively promoted green transformation and continuous improvement of people’s well-being. The innovation and application of energy technologies have accelerated. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the proportion of renewable energy power generation installed capacity increased from 40% to about 60% ^[13], and the combined installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power increased to 1.84 billion kilowatts. The world’s largest electric vehicle charging network has been built, with an average of two charging piles for every five vehicles. In the fields of new drug development and infectious disease prevention and control, the scientific research and tackling ability has been significantly enhanced. The national major science and technology project on “Prevention and Control of Newly Emerged and Major Infectious Diseases” has been deeply promoted. The intelligent judgment and decision-making platform for infectious diseases has been accelerated to be built. New breakthroughs have been made in the prevention and control of major infectious diseases and the precise diagnosis and treatment of “four major chronic diseases.” The number of domestically produced innovative drugs on the market reached 2.8 times the figure recorded during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. In the field of biological breeding, intelligent breeding robots have shortened the traditional breeding cycle from 5 years to 1 year, and the achievements of smart agriculture and food science and technology have been accelerated for transformation and application. China has consolidated the bottom line of food security and vigorously promoted agricultural scientific and technological innovation. In 2025, the contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress exceeded 64%, the comprehensive mechanization rate of crop cultivation, sowing, and harvesting reached 76.7%, and the coverage rate of improved crop varieties exceeded 96% ^[14], effectively supporting the construction of an agricultural powerhouse.

　　(IV) The Lifted Level of International Innovation Competition and Cooperation

　　Scientific and technological innovation has promoted the accelerated formation of new international competitive advantages for China’s industries. The export scale of knowledge- and technology-intensive products has steadily expanded, and the structure has been continuously optimized. In 2025, China’s high-tech product exports reached RMB 5.3 trillion, a 13.2% increase compared with the previous year ^[15], driving export growth by 2.4 percentage points; the export of knowledge-intensive services reached RMB 1.8 trillion, a 10.5% increase. New energy vehicles, photovoltaic products, lithium batteries, etc. have gone global, forming new international competitive advantages in terms of technology, brand, quality, and service. China has the largest number of “lighthouse factories” in the world, accounting for more than 40% ^[16], becoming an important source of global intelligent manufacturing. China has continuously expanded its global innovation cooperation circle of friends. The country has established scientific and technological cooperation relations with more than 160 countries and regions and signed 119 inter-governmental scientific and technological cooperation agreements. It has jointly launched the construction of more than 70 “Belt and Road” joint laboratories with nearly 50 countries. China has deeply participated in more than 60 international large-scale scientific research programs and projects such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope. By actively engaging in and deepening international science and technology cooperation, China has injected new momentum into global innovation-driven development.

　　The key to Chinese path to modernization lies in scientific and technological modernization. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan have clarified the main goal of accelerating greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, fully demonstrating the strategic leading position and fundamental supporting role of science and technology. The next five years will be a critical period for building a great power in science and technology. Seizing the opportunities of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, coping with the complex and changeable international situation, and supporting high-quality development pose higher requirements for scientific and technological innovation. We must unswervingly strengthen the strategic leading position of scientific and technological innovation, promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent in a coordinated manner, and promote the in-depth integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. We should forge a key engine in building a modern industrial system, seize the strategic forefront in accelerating greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and lead the era change in promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, laying a solid foundation for building a world-leading great power in science and technology.

　　Note:

　　[1] Excluding data from Taiwan Province.

　　[2] Source: EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard.

　　[3] The figures for gross domestic expenditures on R&D (GERD) and expenditure for basic research in 2025 in this article are preliminary annual figures.

　　[4] It refers to the ratio of gross domestic expenditures on R&D expenditure (GERD) to GDP.

　　[5] Source: Clarivate Analytics’ database.

　　[6] Hurun Research Institute, Global Unicorn Index 2025, June 26, 2025, https://www.hurun.net/zh-CN/Rank/HsRankDetails?pagetype=unicorn.

　　[7] Specifically, the Science Citation Index (SCI), Engineering Index (EI), and Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science (CPCI-S).

　　[8] Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, Statistical Report on Chinese Scientific and Technical Papers 2025, October 30, 2025, https://www.istic.ac.cn/ueditor/jsp/upload/file/20251029/1761720752622046946.pdf.

　　[9] Source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

　　[10] China National Intellectual Property Administration, 2025 China Patent Survey Report, April 1, 2026, https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/module/download/down.jsp?i_ID=205590&colID=88.

　　[11] Source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

　　[12] World Intellectual Property Organization, Global Innovation Index 2025, September 16, 2025, https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html.

　　[13] Source: National Energy Administration.

　　[14] Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

　　[15] All export data are from the General Administration of Customs.

　　[16] Source: Ministry of Science and Technology.

 Translate from:Website of the National Bureau of Statistics, June 2, 2026