China's quantum technology has entered the global first tier. According to Guo Guangcan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the superconducting quantum computer based in Hefei, Anhui Province, is now accepting computing tasks from around the world. Its core chip operates at near absolute zero temperature maintained by a dilution refrigerator.
Investment in basic research has continued to expand. Data shows that China's basic research funding reached 277.8 billion yuan in 2025, with an average annual growth of over 14% since 2012. The basic research talent pool grew from 212,000 person-years in 2012 to 597,000 person-years in 2024.
Progress was also made in industrial innovation. Jin Haizu, head of the Aviation and Robotics Battery Technology Center at Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), led a team to develop high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries with world-leading performance, and further created a new structural power battery pack that has been mass-produced.
In agriculture, Lin Zhanxi, a professor at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, has long promoted Juncao technology. He once cultivated edible fungi using grass instead of wood in Pengyang County, Ningxia. Ningxia now produces over 90 million bags of edible fungi annually, with a total output value of 680 million yuan. The technology has been adopted in over 100 countries and regions.
On institutional reform, the state has introduced measures such as "open bidding for selecting the best candidates" and "horse racing" systems, while reducing burdens on researchers and improving incentive mechanisms related to evaluation, income distribution and intellectual property rights.
China has also led international mega-science projects such as Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions and launched the Open Science International Cooperation Initiative. The number of high-level international journal papers has ranked first globally for five consecutive years.