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China must push basic science to become tech power, Xi Jinping says in call to boost funding, global teamwork
- Diverse funding, overseas collaboration and talent training are crucial to tech independence at a time of intense global rivalry, Xi tells Politburo
- Call comes at a time when Chinese scientists seeking to build their own world-class facilities must still work with a relatively small budget
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Ling Xinin Beijing
Robust basic research is the only way to make China a global scientific and technological power, President Xi Jinping has said, highlighting the need for tech independence at a time of intense international rivalry.
Diverse funding sources, international collaboration and talent training are crucial to achieving this goal, Xi emphasised, as he chaired a group study session with the Communist Party’s top leadership team ahead of a key annual legislative congress next month.
As the world enters the era of “big science”, basic research is increasingly becoming a frontier for scientific and technological competition, Xi told members of the Politburo – the party’s No 2 decision-making body – according to a Xinhua report on Tuesday’s meeting.
He said the government would continue to pour more money into basic research, but it was also important to diversify funding sources and encourage social investment through tax incentives and other supporting policies, including encouraging enterprises and private donors to set up science prizes and funds for more basic research initiatives.
International collaboration was more important than ever when it came to using basic research to combat global challenges such as climate change, energy security, and outer space utilisation, Xi said, adding that China needed to set up platforms to make such cooperation possible, according to Xinhua.
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