Make China leading power in sci-tech by 2035: Xi tells scientists

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday (July 8, 2026) asked Chinese scientists and engineers to make the country a leading power in science and technology by 2035 to achieve high-level self-reliance.

Mr. Xi said that accelerated efforts should be made to achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and leverage sci-tech innovation to accelerate Chinese modernisation.

“We must seize the historic opportunity, rise to the challenges of the times, accelerate efforts to achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and make steady progress toward the 2035 goal of becoming a leading country in science and technology,” Mr. Xi said while addressing a meeting here that brought together heads of the top scientific and engineering bodies of the country.

He said the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is a critical phase for tackling tough challenges in building up the country’s strength in science and technology, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

At the meeting, Mr. Xi presented China’s top sci-tech award for the year 2025 to Chen Liquan, a researcher at the Institute of Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Ben De, a researcher at the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and also a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Mr. Chen is the founder of China’s lithium battery sector. Mr. Ben De is an expert in radar technology.

In recent years, China has made big strides in several frontier technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicles (EVs), and battery technology, aided by massive state support, a huge domestic market, strong manufacturing capabilities, and a large pool of engineers.

On the AI front, China has made it a national strategic priority, aiming to become the world’s leading AI innovation centre with heavy investments from the government in research, computing infrastructure, semiconductor development, and talent cultivation.

Also, China has emerged as the world’s largest producer and exporter of electric vehicles as its EV industry has expanded dramatically over the past decade.

Analysts say China’s progress in AI, electric vehicles, and battery technology aims to shift away from a manufacturing hub to become a major technological innovator, even while facing stiff competition from the US, EU, South Korea and Japan, besides American export controls on advanced AI chips.