Sci-Tech development in China over 60 years

Meanwhile, the scientific quality of the general public has been increasing. According to an authoritative survey conducted by the State Statistics Bureau and the China Association for Science and Technology using the international index system and method for testing the scientific quality of the public, in the past five years the proportion of Chinese public with basic scientific quality has annually increased by 0.24 percentage point, from 0.2 percent in 1996 to 1.4 percent in 2001.

In 2001, the government decided to focus its science and technology work on promoting the upgrading of traditional industries, propelling high-tech researches, strengthening basic researches, deepening reform in the system of science and technology, and building a state system of innovation. According to a state plan, by 2005, the R&D funds in the whole society will account for over 1.5 percent of the GDP, the R & D funds in enterprises will exceed 50 percent of that in the whole society, the R & D funds in new- and high-technology enterprises will be over five percent of their yearly sales income, and there will be as many as 900,000 scientists and engineers engaged in R & D. Meanwhile, the basic construction of science and technology will be gradually improved. By 2005, China will have a number of world-class scientific research bases, with both the level of industrial technology and its international competitiveness greatly increased. Basic researches and strategic high-tech researches will have made breakthroughs, providing scientific and technological support for the harmonious development of population, resources and environment.