In the past 20 years since 1980, China has made rapid progress in catching up with the world's advanced level in science and technology, and has achieved marked results.

1. Some major technological issues were solved in the construction of the national economy.

The Spark Program was initiated, which is invigorating the agricultural economy through scientific technology. Agricultural production has gradually developed through the implementation of technological development projects. The growth of technological and management levels in township enterprises sped up the modernization of agriculture. The implementation of the Spark Program promoted the spreading of technology, and great economic returns were obtained in the process. In industry, some 10 thousand scientific achievements were promoted and applied in production, including CAD, EDI and CIMS technologies. In major construction projects, for example, scientific research on key technologies laid the foundation for the Three Gorges Project. Through the introduction and absorption of scientific research, China was able to design and build compatible equipment, such as the large coal-power electric generating units. High-speed express train which travel at 160 km per hour are undergoing trial operation; trains with the capacity to transport 5,000 tons in freight are now running on the Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangdong railway lines, which increased the annual transporting capacity of 13 million tons. Some biological medicines for preventing and curing serious diseases were developed.

2. Much progress has been made in hi-tech research and the industrialization of new and high technology.

China started hi-tech research in major fields to keep up with world's frontier sciences, and developed new and hi-tech industries from scratch in accordance with Chinese characteristics. The efforts greatly increased the comprehensive national strength of China and gave it a competitive edge in the world.

China initiated the 863 Program--a plan for hi-tech research and development, in order to make some breakthroughs in the field of high technology. Much progress has been made in the past 10 years, such as creating a world advanced 0.8-micron integrated circuit chip, 12-inch vertical monocrystalline silicon, and bilinear hybrid rice, which increases harvests by 10-15 percent (in comparison to trilinear hybrid rice).

The state put into effect the Torch Program to guide and promote the development of new and hi-tech industry. Its main task is to create conditions catering to the new and hi-tech industries for running new and hi-tech industrial development zones, implementing the Torch Program to promote the commercialization, industrialization and globalization of new and high technologies, and cultivate new and hi-tech talents. Practice proved that the carrying out of the Torch Program played an important role in the adjustment of the industrial structure, renovation of traditional industrial technologies, large increase in productivity, promotion of regional economic development, and increase of international competitive competency; and has gained increasing economic returns and social effects.

In recent years, the industrial added value and import & export value of high technology recorded comparatively rapid growth. According to incomplete statistics, China's industrial added value of high technology in 1997 increased to 197.5 billion yuan, and hi-tech enterprises amounted to over 50,000. A group of collective-run hi-tech enterprises have developed a certain competitive competency and some hi-tech products with intellectual property right have also obtained credit in competition. The China-made digital computer-controlled switches, that have intellectual property right protection, occupied 40 percent of domestic market by 1996, winning one third of the market from foreign companies; the China-made micro-computers also have a certain competitive edge; and the network optical fiber transmission equipment has taken 20 percent of domestic market.

3. Relating scientific achievements to products produced remarkable results.

In the 20 years since 1978, scientific achievements have been increasingly applied to products. Increase of annual growth of some 15 billion kg of grain was obtained, raising over 20 billion yuan in economic returns, through the promotion of dry nursery and sparse growing and water-saving technologies, dense corn, livestock breeding under plastic brooders, ABT plant regulators and dry land wheat breeding period mulching technology. Other good examples are the successful completion of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Station, the adoption of steam splitting ethylene technology, the successful development of complete equipment for the Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., and the industrialization of nickel hydrogen batteries. The CIMS technology has been successfully applied for demonstration in model enterprises of certain industries in some provinces and cities, and has won international awards on many occasions. The CAD technology has been widely applied in 27 departments, provinces and cities, with the popularization rate in engineering designing units reaching 80 percent, creating more than 10 billion yuan in profits.

4. Reform of scientific system deepened.

With the deepened reform of the economic system, the reform of the scientific and technological system also went further from trial spots to covering wider areas.
In 1987, the State Council made public the Regulations on Further Promoting the Reform of Scientific and Technological System, which proposed detailed measures for further invigorating scientific research institutions, enlivening the management of scientific personnel, and promoting the pairing of science and technology with the economy. In 1988, the State Council promulgated the Decision on Certain Issues Regarding the Deepening Reform of the Scientific and Technological System, to encourage the participation of scientific research institutes in economic activities in various forms: develop new-type scientific research, production and management entities to develop, and produce new and hi-tech products; run new and hi-tech industrial development zones in dense intellectual areas; greatly promote scientific progress in enterprises and rural areas; and support the development of collective, individual and other forms of scientific institutes.

In September 1996, the State Council issued the Decision on the Deepened Reform of the Scientific System During the Ninth Five-Year Plan, which set the target for the reform of the scientific system during the ninth five-year plan period: to initially set up the scientific and technological system in conformity with the socialist market economic system and its own development law; form an integrated mechanism for scientific research, development, production and market; set up a technological development system for production, teaching and research with enterprises at the core, the scientific research system based on scientific research institutes and higher learning institutions, and a socialized scientific and technological service system.

5. Basic research has made an impact on the world.

The State Natural Science Fund Commission was founded in February 1986, to enforce basic research and consolidate the basic research team. The fund mainly came from state allocations. To date, financial allocations have been on the increase each year, and reached 777 million yuan in 1997. The state also enforced basic research through implementing key science projects, the Scaling Program and establishing key state labs, and has achieved marked results, which laid the foundation for China to take a foot-hold in the world's hi-tech field. Now, China is working on the Development Plan of Key State Basic Research, to provide stressed support for key basic research programs that are connected to the long-term development of the national economy and society.

During the Eighth Five-Year Plan period (1991-95), China had made achievements in high-temperature superconductivity research, theorem-proving mechanical methods in mathematics, rice genetic group physical atlas, the discovery of an animal fossil group in Chengjiang, r-lepton quality determination, and has won full recognition in world academic circles. Rapid progress has been made in the new sciences such as life science, surface science, non-linear, cognitive, and global system sciences, which has narrowed the gap between China and the world's advanced level. Over 200 Chinese scientists have assumed posts in international scientific organizations. According to a comprehensive index arrangement by the three international science & technology magazines (SCI, EI, ISTP), the theses published by Chinese rose up the ladder from 15th position at the end of the seventh Five-Year Plan (1980) to 11th.

6. Further opening in science and technology.

With the progress of the reform and opening up, the closed-door situation in relation to China's science and technology was transformed. Foreign cooperation and exchanges in science and technology were greatly expanded, and an all-round opening policy was initiated. By 1997, China had established scientific cooperative relations with 135 countries and regions in the world, signed 95 governmental agreements on scientific cooperation, and joined 75 international academic organizations. A total of 283 research and development institutions and higher learning institutions were guaranteed the right to introduce foreign trade and management. The foreign technological trade grew rapidly and steadily, and the import and export of hi-tech products in 1997 reached 29.4 billion yuan in value.

7. A cross-century talent contingent of science and technology was initially set up.

Through 20 years' development, China's resource of scientific and technological talents broadened quickly, and a scientific team on a certain scale and level was set up, which became the backbone for cross-century scientific and economic development. By the end of 1997, technological personnel in various subjects in state-owned enterprises and institutions reached 29.14 million, of which, 2.62 million people are engaged in scientific and technological activities, 1.68 million are scientists and engineers. With the development of science and education, scientific staff reserves are also expanding annually. In 1995, university and college students accounted for 2.906 million, and graduate students 145,000. Between 1985 and 1996, China had 5,100 post-doctorate researchers, some of whom have become leaders in new subjects and technology.

8. Laws and regulations on science and technology are improving.

In 1993, the National People's Congress passed the Law on Scientific and Technological Progress of the People's Republic of China. The law regulated the basic principle of the science and technology work in China, and a series of major law systems concerning scientific and technological progress. It is a law for science and technology equivalent to the Constitution, and provides the basic law for the making of other single scientific and technological laws and regulations. With the Law as the core, China successively introduced laws connected to patents, technological contracts, the promotion of turning scientific and technological achievements into production, and the promotion of agricultural technology, earthquake prevention and disaster-relief, as well as related administrative regulations and department rules. Stimulated by the state legislation, legislation in provinces also made much headway. By 1997, provincial people's congresses with legislation rights had worked out over 150 regulations on science and technology. A complete system of laws for the field of science and technology law was initially set up.