Full text of Xi's speech at sci-tech conference

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a meeting conflating the national sci-tech conference, the national science and technology award conference, and the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, in Beijing, on June 24, 2024.  

The following is the full text.

Full text of Xi's speech at sci-tech conference

June 24, 2024

Xi Jinping

Dear academicians, comrades, and friends,

This conference is a grand scientific and technological event held at a critical period when the country is promoting the building of a strong country in all respects and achieving the great national rejuvenation through a Chinese path to modernization. First, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), I would like to extend warm congratulations to the collectives and individuals who have won the national science and technology award for 2023, extend sincere greetings to academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering as well as science and technology workers nationwide, and warm welcome to foreign academicians and friends from the international scientific community.

The nation will thrive when science and technology develops, and the country will be strong when science and technology becomes advanced. The CPC has always attached great importance to the development of science and technology. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee has promoted the implementation of the strategy for innovation-driven development, proposed the strategic task of accelerating building an innovative country, set the target of building the country into a powerhouse in science and technology by 2035, continuously deepened the reform of the scientific and technological system, fully stimulated the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of scientific and technological personnel, and vigorously promoted the building of self-reliance and strength in science and technology. As a result, historic achievements and transformations have been realized in the development of science and technology.

New breakthroughs have been achieved in basic cutting-edge research, and a number of significant original achievements have been made in fields such as quantum technology, life science, material science, and space science. The two core conjectures of differential geometry have been successfully proven, chemical small molecules have induced reprogramming of human cells, and artificially synthesized starch using carbon dioxide has made “technological created products” a reality. The strategic high-tech field has embraced a new leap forward. Those include the completion of projects such as Chang’e lunar missions, Tianhe space station core module, and Tianwen 1 Mars probe. China’s deep-Earth borehole drilling has exceeded 10,000 meters. China’s Struggler deep-sea manned submersible made history by completing 10 consecutive hours of operations at the deepest point of the Diamantina Trench in southeastern Indian Ocean, and the world’s first fourth-generation nuclear power plant has been put into commercial operation. New achievements have been made in innovation-driven high-quality development, and emerging industries such as integrated circuits and artificial intelligence have been developing well. The first 6G satellite was successfully launched, BeiDou Navigation Satellite Services provides high-precision service globally, and domestically-developed single-aisle aircraft C919 has been put into commercial operation. High-speed rail technology has set an international benchmark, and new energy vehicles have added new impetus into the global automotive industry. Biological breeding, new medicine development, green and low-carbon technologies have promoted food security and the building of a healthy and beautiful China. The reform of the scientific and technological system has opened up a new dimension, and the scientific and technological management system has been reshaped. Efforts have been accelerated for the layout of national strategic scientific and technological forces, and the vitality of innovative entities and talents has been further unleashed. New progress has been made in international openness and cooperation, and we have proposed international sci-tech cooperation initiatives, and taken the lead in organizing international big science projects. China's influence as an important pole of global innovation continues to grow. All these have laid a solid foundation for building a strong country in science and technology.

In the practice of sci-tech development in the new era, we continue to deepen our understanding of the way work should be done in this regard and have accumulated a lot of important experience. It is mainly as follows: We should adhere to the overall leadership of the Party, improve the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over work in science and technology, observe the general trend, plan for the overall situation and grasp the fundamentals, so as to ensure that the development of science and technology is always in the right direction. We should adhere to the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics, rely on self-reliance and hard work, give full play to the advantages of China's socialist system of concentrating resources on major projects, and build greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, so as to firmly keep in our own hands the lifeblood of sci-tech work and the initiative for development. We should uphold the concept that innovation drives development, that placing efforts on innovation is promoting development, and that making plans for innovation means paving the way for the future, and that scientific and technological innovation should propel high-quality development and ensure high-level security. We should adhere to the Four-Pronged strategic orientation, focusing on the world's scientific and technological frontier, the main economic battlefield, the major needs of the country, and the lives and health of the people, and strengthen the whole-chain arrangement and all-field layout of scientific and technological innovation work, so as to comprehensively consolidate scientific and technological strength and innovation capacity. We should stimulate the vitality for innovation through deepening reform, remove ideological and institutional obstacles that hinder scientific and technological innovation, and turn institutional advantages into advantages in competition in science and technology. We should promote a virtuous cycle of talent, education and science and technology, coordinate the implementation of the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the country through talent, and the strategy of innovation-driven development, so as to promote the development of education, scientific and technological innovation, and personnel training in a holistic approach. We should foster a culture for innovation, inherit the innovation gene of China's fine traditional culture, and create a good environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, so that advocating science and pursuing innovation become a common trend in the whole society. We should be open to cooperation in science and technology for the benefit of mankind, pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, and contribute China's wisdom and strength to addressing global challenges and promoting the development and progress of humanity. This wealth of experience is valuable and must be adhered to for a long time to come and continuously enriched and developed in practice.

Dear academicians, comrades, and friends,

We are currently witnessing a profound development in the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. Scientific research is expanding to the extremes, both at the macro and micro level, advancing under extreme conditions, and striving towards comprehensive interdisciplinary overlapping, continuously pushing the boundaries of human knowledge. Technological innovation is in an unprecedentedly active period, with cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and biotechnology emerging rapidly, triggering transformative changes. At the same time, the world is experiencing accelerated changes unseen in a century, with the technological revolution intertwined with major power competition. High-tech fields have become the forefront and main battleground of international competition, profoundly reshaping the global order and development landscape. Although our country’s scientific and technological endeavors have witnessed significant progress, our capability for original innovation remains relatively weak, some core technologies in key fields are controlled by others, and we lack top scientific talent. We must further enhance our sense of urgency and intensify our efforts in scientific and technological innovation to seize the high ground in scientific competition and future development.

The 20th CPC National Congress has set the central task of advancing the building of a strong nation in all respects and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernization. Chinese modernization relies on scientific and technological modernization, and achieving high-quality development depends on scientific and technological innovation to cultivate new driving forces. We must have a clear understanding of the strategic leading position and fundamental supporting role of science and technology, have the determination to achieve the strategic goal of building China into a great country in science and technology by 2035, strengthen top-level design and overall planning, and accelerate the building of greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology.

The great country in science and technology we aim to build should possess leading global strength in science and technology and innovation capability, support a comprehensive leap in economic strength, defense capability, and overall national strengths, enhance human well-being, and promote global development. It must have the following essential elements: First, strong capabilities for basic research and original innovation, be able to continuously make significant original and disruptive scientific achievements; second, robust capability to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, effectively supporting high-quality development and high-level security; third, strong international influence and leadership, becoming a key global scientific center and innovation hub; fourth, strong capability to cultivate and attract high-level scientific and technological talent, continuously expanding the team of top international scientific talents and national strategic strength in science and technology, and the last but not the least, a robust science and technology governance system and governance capability, creating a world-class innovation ecosystem and research environment.

Academicians, comrades and friends,

With only 11 years left to achieve the goal of building a great country in science and technology, we must maintain the firm determination and resolve, just as a blacksmith in the past would spend years forging a perfect sword, seize the day and night and work hard to forge ahead by making steady progress to turn this strategic goal into reality.

First, it is imperative to give full play to the advantages of the new system to mobilize resources nationwide and accelerate the achievement of greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology. To build a coordinated and efficient decision-making and command system, as well as organizational system for the implementation of decisions and plans, and form strong synergies to promote technological innovation, efforts should be made to improve the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over sci-tech work, and strengthen the coordination of strategic planning, policies and measures, major tasks, research strengths, resource platforms and regional innovation. It is imperative to give full play to the decisive role of the market in allocation of sci-tech resources and also to the role of the government in this regard to motivate all the links of industry, academia and research, together forming a synergy for achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields. Efforts should be made to strengthen the building of national strategic strength in science and technology, optimize its positioning and layout, improve the system of national laboratories and boost the integrated performance of China’s innovation system. It is imperative to maintain the strategic stamina, do what it should and never do what it should not, give prominence to our country's strategic needs, make scientific and technological arrangements of strategic importance in key areas, and arrange a number of major sci-tech projects, gaining competitive advantages and seizing the strategic initiative. It is essential to enhance the organizational level of basic research, and improve the input mechanism under which competitive support and steady support are combined. It is essential to strengthen joint efforts for making breakthroughs in major scientific problems, encourage free exploration in research, strive to put forward original basic theories, and master the underlying technological principles, so as to lay a solid foundation for sci-tech innovation.

Second, it is essential to promote integration between innovation in science and technology and industrial innovation, so as to help develop new quality productive forces. The basis for the integration is to increase the supply of high-quality science and technology. The focus should be placed on the key areas and weak links in the building of a modern industrial system. As for bottleneck issues in key areas such as integrated circuits, high-end machine tools, basic software, advanced materials, scientific research instruments, and core germplasm resources, more work should be done to strengthen technological research and development so as to provide scientific and technological support to ensure the autonomy, safety and controllability of key industrial chains and supply chains. With a focus on the commanding height of future-oriented science and technology and industrial development, it is essential to speed up scientific and technological innovation in areas including next-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, biological science and technology, new energy and new materials, and cultivate and develop emerging and future industries. It is imperative to transform and upgrade traditional industries with new technologies to make industries high-end, smart and green.

What is vital for integration is to reinforce the principal role of enterprises in innovation. It is imperative to give full play to the exemplary role of leading high-tech enterprises, encourage micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the private sector to take part in sci-tech innovation, and support enterprises to take charge of or participate in major national sci-tech projects. It is also essential to guide enterprises to closely cooperate with higher education institutions and scientific research institutes to jointly study sci-tech questions in order to meet industrial needs, launch joint projects for breakthroughs, jointly nurture talents and promote enterprise-led innovation on the basis of collaboration between industries, universities and research institutes.

The path of integration is to intensify the application of scientific and technological achievements. It is necessary to leverage the strength of our country’s industrial foundation and enormous market to strengthen the building of a system for national technology transfer, improve supportive policies and market services, and propel the promotion, application, updating and upgrading of independently-developed products, so that more sci-tech achievements can be transformed from samples to products, and developed into industries. A great job should be done in the development of fintech, and financial capital should be guided to invest in fields which are in the early stage of development, small-sized, of long-term potential and related to key and core technologies.

Third, the reform of the scientific and technological systems and mechanisms must be deepened to fully unleash the vitality of innovation and creativity. Given the fact that sci-tech innovation in our country is not well-organized and well-coordinated enough, and that sci-tech resources are scattered and repetitive, it is particularly important to combine goal-oriented and problem-oriented approaches in deepening reform of sci-tech management mechanisms, coordinating the construction of major innovation platforms and strengthening the coordination of innovation resources and the organization of strengths. The overall planning of sci-tech innovation should be improved, and coordination between the central and local governments should be strengthened, so as to build highlands for innovation with global influence. It is imperative to improve the management of sci-tech plans, advance reform of the mechanisms for the allocation, management and use of research funds, and allow research institutes and their staff members more autonomy, so as to ensure that investment in sci-tech innovation will be used in a more efficient and effective manner.

In recent years, although progress has been made in unburdening scientific researchers of distractions, many researchers are complaining that they still have heavy non-academic burdens. It is essential to set new standards instead of recognizing talent only according to their thesis, titles, education background and prizes to speed up improving categorized assessment and evaluation mechanisms in line with the way science and research activities should be organized. It is imperative to improve incentive systems such as science and technology awards, income distribution, and proprietorship of achievements so that more outstanding talents receive fair rewards and their creativity is unleashed. It is also a must to continue to rectify the practice of indiscriminately awarding titles and certifications, so as to allow scientific researchers to focus on their research and be unburdened of distractions and stress caused by applying for projects, publishing papers, vying for awards, and competing for resources.

Fourth, efforts should be made to promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and build competitive edges in talent. Scientific and technological innovation relies on talent, talent cultivation relies on education, and education, science and technology, and talent should support each other. It is necessary to strengthen systems thinking, deepen the integrated reform of the systems and mechanisms of education, science and technology, and talent, improve the talent cultivation mechanism featuring the collaboration between science and education, and accelerate the cultivation of a large-scale and well-structured team of high-caliber innovation talent.

Currently, the structural mismatch between talent cultivation and demand for talent in terms of scientific and technological innovation in our country is particularly prominent. It is imperative to optimize the plan of disciplines in higher education in consideration of demand for talent in scientific and technological innovation, innovate talent cultivation modes, and effectively improve the level and quality of nurturing talents at home. We must prioritize work in speeding up efforts to build a contingent of personnel with expertise of strategic importance, focus on cultivating strategic scientists, leading scientific and technological personnel, and innovation teams, and strive to cultivate outstanding engineers, master craftsmen and highly-skilled workers. It is imperative to prioritize the cultivation of young scientific and technological talent, fully trust them, give them full autonomy, guide them carefully, and take good care of them, so as to nurture more outstanding young talent.

We should implement more proactive, open, and effective policies for cultivating talent, accelerate the formation of an internationally competitive talent system, and build an innovative hub that attracts global intellectual resources.

The growth and development of talent depends on the nourishment of an innovative cultural environment. It is necessary to create a social environment where labor, knowledge, talent and creativity are respected. It is also imperative to vigorously promote the spirit of scientists and inspire scientific researchers to aim high and remain patriotic, dedicated, and committed to innovation. Efforts should also be made to strengthen research integrity, develop a healthy work and academic style, and promote the formation of a clean and upright scientific research ecology.

Fifth, it is essential to materialize the idea of building a community of shared future for humanity to promote open cooperation in science and technology. Progress in science and technology is an issue of global and contemporary importance, and only through open cooperation can we follow the right path. The more complex the international environment is, the more we need to be broad-minded, keep our door open, coordinate opening up and security, and achieve China's self-reliance and strength in science and technology through open cooperation.

Efforts should be made to implement the initiative for global scientific and technological cooperation, further broaden the government and non-governmental channels for exchanges and cooperation, give full play to the role of platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative, take the lead in organizing international big science research plans and projects, and support scientists and researchers from all countries to jointly achieve breakthroughs. It is necessary to actively integrate into the global innovation network, deeply participate in global science and technology governance, work with countries around the world to create an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory international environment for the development of science and technology, and jointly address global challenges such as climate change, food security and energy security, so that the development of science and technology can better benefit mankind.

Academicians, comrades, and friends!

Building China into a great country in science and technology places a heavy responsibility and a glorious mission on shoulders of academicians. It is hoped that as outstanding representatives of the scientific and technological circle, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering will forge ahead, take on heavy responsibilities, play well a pioneering role in exploring frontiers of science and technology, a leading role in undertaking major tasks, a guiding role in promoting the growth of young talent, and an exemplary role in dedication to science so as to make new contributions to the development of China’s science and technology. It is hoped that the science and technology professionals will consciously integrate their academic pursuits into the great cause of building China into a great country in science and technology, forge ahead with determination, pursue excellence, and make new achievements that are worthy of the times and live up to people's expectations.

Building China into a great country in science and technology is the common responsibility of the whole Party and country. It is imperative that Party committees and governments at all levels conscientiously implement the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee to effectively strengthen the organization, leadership and scientific management of work in science and technology, and do their best to provide services and support. Leading officials at all levels should attach importance to learning new knowledge of science and technology, and enhance their ability to lead and promote work in science and technology.

Dear academicians, comrades and friends! 

Building China into a great country in science and technology has been the long-cherished dream of the Chinese nation since modern times. Generations of Chinese people have devoted themselves to and worked unremittingly for it. Now, the mission of realizing this dream has been passed to our generation. We should be ambitious, exert our utmost, work hard and be united, and forge ahead bravely towards the grand goal of building China into a great country in science and technology.