The State Medium- and Long-term Programme on Science and Technology
Development has been examined and approved by the 94th Executive Meeting of
the State Council and is hereby transmitted to you for its implementation.

    As the human society is greeting a new century, the world is undergoing
tremendous changes. The revolution of new science and technology is
developing swiftly and violently. Market competition is more and more
intense. The international political wind and cloud is in an unpredictable
situation. Our country and nation is faced with urgent and serious
challenges. With a view to realizing the second-stage strategic objectives
by the year 2000 and further making our country among moderately-developed
states by the middle of the next century, we should persist in the four basic
principles, continue reform and opening up and speed up economic and social
development depending on progress in science and technology. That is a great
and hard task, which concerns the future of our country and the fortune of
socialism.

    1. Science and technology is the first productive force and renders the
greatest revolutionary impetus to economic-social development. Under the
superior socialist system the progress of science and technology and
improvement of management will play a decisive role in our country’s
modernization. To bring economic construction onto the approach of depending
more on science and technology advance and labour quality improvement will
inevitably ensure successive realization of the second-stage strategic
objectives of our country and lay a solid foundation for achievement of the
third-stage strategic objectives. In accordance with the three-stage
strategy of the national economic construction and in the light of the
tendency and trends of international science and technology development, it
is an important historic task to make an overall arrangement for development
of science and technology over the coming 10 to 30 years.

    2. Over the last forty years, our country has made remarkable
achievements in science and technology which attract world attention. Right
now the whole country has a scientific and technological contingent of
10,900,000 people, among which 1,050,000 people are engaged in
development-oriented research. Independent research and development
institutions have numbered over 5,000 and another more than 7,000
research-based development institutions are affiliated to enterprises. A
relatively complete science and technology research system has been
established, and a series of important world-recognized scientific and
technologic achievements have been fulfilled. Our country has mainly depended
upon our own talents in solution of a large number of important scientific
and technologic problems in economic and national defence construction and in
social development. Especially over the last ten years of reform and opening
up when our country has readjusted science and technology development policy,
significant breakthroughs have been made in reform of science and technology
institutional system, organization of tackling key problems, expansion of
technologic achievements, promotion of scientific and technological progress
in countryside, facilitation of development of hi-tech industries and
strengthening of international scientific and technological cooperation and
exchange.

    3. Over the last forty years of scientific and technologic development
we have accumulated rich experiences while we also have a lot of lessons to
draw.

    Our main experiences are as follows: Firstly, scientific and
technological work must persist in being subject to the party’s leadership
and socialist approach. Secondly, we must persist in reform and opening up.
While planned management should be perfected the role of the market in
readjustment must be brought into play so that the transfer
of scientific and technological achievements into production could be
facilitated and combination of science and technology with economy could be
promoted. On the basis of self-reliance, advanced foreign experiences and
achievements in science and technology must be learned from in an active
manner so that development of science and technology could be accelerated.
Thirdly, under the unified leadership of the state, personnel and material
resources should be concentrated to organize attacking key problems and
fulfilling important research tasks that are significant to national
economic development and social progress. Fourthly, while the role of mainstay
of scientific and technological contingents should be brought into full play,
attention should also be paid to combination of the research work of expertise
with technological reform of the mass, integration of leading officials with
the skilled personnel, the workers and farmers so that efforts could be joined
to promote application of scientific and technological achievements and
dissemination of scientific and technological knowledge and to improve
scientific and cultural quality of all nationalities of the people.

    Our major lessons are as follows: Firstly, in both guiding ideology
and actual work of social development, we failed to continuously and
consistently place scientific and technological development at the important
strategic position. Secondly, economic development lacks the support of a
mechanism and internal motive by which scientific and technological progress
is depended upon. Scientific and technological development is short of
vitality arisen from economic development orientation. Large amount of
technological achievements failed to be transformed into productive capacity.
Consequently science and technology is divorced to certain extent from
economic and social development and potentials of science and technology have
not been given full play. Thirdly, scientific and technological work suffers
shortage of overall arrangement, rational division of work and prevalence of
low-level repetition. Often times state circumstances were neglected,
unpractical goals were blindly pursued in expectation of immediate
achievement. Fourthly, important error took place in terms of policy of
intellectuals to the consequence of seriously damaging intellectuals’
enthusiasm and creativity and effecting healthy development of scientific
and technological contingents. The social atmosphere has not been nurtured
in which knowledge and talents are respected.

    4. Scientific and technological work shall be oriented to modernization,
to the world and to the future. The revolution of new sciences and
technologies in modern world has been so vigorously developing that science
and technology has unprecedentedly and extensively penetrated into all fields
of human society. As a consequence, social productivity has been brought to a
great leap forward and in-depth change has happened in the global structure.
Economic and social development in all countries more and more depends upon
progress of science and technology. Combination and overlap occur between
basic researches, pragmatic researches and technological development. The
duration of the transform of technological achievements into commodity
production has become shorter and shorter. Science, technology, education
and production have become more and more closely connected.

    In prospect for the scientific and technological development worldwide
in the forthcoming 10 to 30 years, a series of newly developed sciences and
technologies will undergo breakthrough and new productive technologies and
new conception of natural phenomena will exert in-depth influence upon
development of human society. Development of hi-and-new-tech will further
change the present industrial structure and become an important factor in
the competition of global economy. Economic development and scientific and
technological progress in the world tends to be globalized and competition
in sciences and technologies all the more becomes a decisive factor in
international economic competition. At the same time the human society have
to strengthen international cooperation to solve such global problems as
population, environment, resources and calamity. No country can realize
modernization in a closed-up state.

    5. Science and technology shall be developed in the light of circumstances
of our country. Our country has a large population, poor in resources,
backward in social productivity with 80% of its population living in the
countryside. It will remain in a preliminary stage of socialism for a long
time to come. Economic and social development in our country is restrained by
factors of population, resources and environment, etc.. The population has
recorded over 1.1 billion and is expected to amount to 1.5 billion in the
2020s even the growth rate is brought under strict control. Although the
general volume of majority of resources reserve available in our country is
quite large but per capita distribution of resources is relatively inadequate.
Per capita arable land in our country is only one third of the average level
of the world as a whole while for drinking water that figure is one fourth,
for forest, one fifth and for energy resource only one half. Environment
pollution and ecological degradation have imposed serious threat to
economic and social development.

    Over a long period of time in the past we have developed our economy by
consuming a large amount of resources. A big number of industries were run
with backward technology and poor management, resulting in poor quality of
products and low economic efficiency. Our country is among the states with
highest energy consumption per product unit and productive efficiency of
social labour is equivalent to only 5% of that in advanced countries. The
disparity is basically a kind of difference in level of science and
technology, in education and in management. If we still remain in short of a
sense of urgency and emergency and don’t try to catch up, the disparity
will be broadened and our country will have the danger of failure to achieve
objectives of our socialist modernization and we will not have the position
in the world that we should have.

    6. To realize modernization of science and technology is critical for
realization of economic modernization and remarkable increase of productive
efficiency. We should bring science and technology into maximum play in the
role as the first productive force. We should show respect to knowledge, to
talents and conscientiously transfer economic construction approach to more
reliance upon scientific and technological progress and improvement of
labour quality. This important decision suggests a historic change in
development strategy regarding science, technology, economy and the society
in our country and is most significant to realization of objectives
scheduled for the present century and through to the middle of the next
century.

    7. The basic strategy on scientific and technological development in our
country includes strengthening scientific and technological awareness of the
whole nation, improving quality of the labour, mobilizing and attracting
majority of the scientific and technological contingents to devote themselves
to the key battle for national economic construction, emphasizing
technological innovations, strenuously absorbing and utilizing advanced and
applicable technologies in the world and speeding up technological
innovations in all fields of the national economy. Over a long period of time
in the future development of science and technology should be mainly oriented
to large-scaled industrial technology construction and equipment modernization
while at the same time hi-tech and new technologies and industries based
thereupon should be developed in a planned and programmed manner, basic
researches should be strengthened steadily and scientific reserves should
also be reinforced.

    8. Strategic objectives of scientific and technological development in
our country must be based on the general objectives and arrangements for
national economic and social development. Modern sciences and technologies
must be applied to serve the purpose of reinforcing overall national
strength and improving people’s living standards with the focus of helping
solve problems arising from large-scaled modernized production of commodities
in both industry and agriculture, effectively control and alleviate pressures
of population, resources and environment. In several scientific and
technological fields where our country has advantages, we must be bold in
making innovations, maintain the tendency of development and continue to
hold certain position upon the advanced-list of the world. Breakthroughs
must be made in key fields of high and new technologies and basic researches
so that the advanced level of the world could be caught up with and some high
and new technology based industries that have international competitive power
could be established. By the year 2000 major industries of our country should
have their technological level caught up with that of the economically
developed countries in the 1970s or in the early years of 1980s. By the year
2020 they should have equivalent technological level with that of those
countries at the beginning of the 21st century so that the gap with the
advanced level could be further narrowed as a whole.

    As regards development of agricultural sciences and technologies, the
relationship between application expansion and research development must be
dealt with properly. Applicable and supplementary advanced technologies
should be spread. Service systems for the commodity economy which take
science and technology as pillar should be developed actively. Technological
level of agriculture should be heightened. Productive structure, commodity
structure and employment structure in agriculture should be readjusted in
an appropriate manner. At the same time agricultural scientific and
technological work should be strengthened substantially and relevant
disposition in depth should be properly arranged for so that strength could
be reserved for future development of agriculture. The projects of “Spark”,
“Bumper Harvest” and “Prairie Fire”, which are intended for agricultural
economic development, should continue to be implemented.

    Development of industrial science and technology should be focused on
rise of economic efficiency. Enterprises, especially large and medium-sized
enterprises, should attach great value to scientific and technological
progress. All industrial departments should emphasize utilization of modern
sciences and technologies, modern management technologies, particularly
electronic information technology to conduct technological innovations.
Technological level of machinery equipment should also be raised. Energy
should be saved, resource consumption should be cut down, quality should be
improved, variety of products should be developed, work efficiency and
competitive capacity of products should be improved, industrial structure
and product structure should be optimized so that our economy could change
from a situation of high consumption and low efficiency to that of low
consumption but high efficiency.

    With the view of creating a favourable natural and social environment for
our people, research and development of sciences and technologies concerning
social progress should be strengthened, particularly those sciences and
technologies in respect to population, medicine and hygiene, social services,
public infrastructure, environmental and biological protection, calamity
forecasting and prevention, etc..

    Development of high and new technologies should keep on with the
principle of “Restraining Objectives and Emphasizing Key Projects”. The state
should support those high and new technological researches as key areas that
could probably make significant breakthroughs and have promising future of
application. The state should substantially render aid and support to
development of high-and-new-technology-based industries. The state should
actively create conditions and conscientiously manage high-and-new-technology
development zones in a proper manner. International cooperation in and market
expansion of high and new technologies should be accelerated. Import and
export of high and new technologies should be enlarged so that international
resources can be utilized and new-and-high-technology-based industries in our
country can be directed to the approach of globalization. Projects of high
and new technology research and development such as “Attacking Hard-core
Programme”, “863 Programme” and “Torch Programme” should be actively promoted
so that breakthroughs can be made in some fields and commercialization,
industrialization and internationalization of high and new technologies can be
accelerated.

    Basic researches should comply with rule of scientific development
itself. Survey and tracking of several scientific frontiers should be
strengthened so that we could strive to be listed in the advanced
international ranks. Pragmatic basic researches should be targeted at
solutions to important scientific and technological problems related to
economic and social development. A selected and highly capable troop should
be maintained for basic and pragmatic basic researches and should win steady
support from the state. China Academy of Sciences and high education
colleges should be brought into full play and coordination and cooperation
between the two should be strengthened so as to be in the benefit of
education of talents and maintenance of vitality.

    Development of science and technology in the field of national defence
should comply with the principles of shortening battle line, focusing on key
projects, strengthening scientific and technological work and making
innovations step by step. Attention should be paid to research and
development of high technologies that are essential to improving performance
of important conventional weapons and developing new military capacity in the
future and of technologies that will lay a foundation for further development
of sciences and technologies in national defence. Highly sophisticated
technologies in national defence should be developed continuously and the
momentum of their progress should be maintained. Promotion of technological
modernization of weapons and military equipment should continue with a view
to achieving remarkable advance in hi-tech based conventional weapons,
maintaining the effectiveness of the capacity of nuclear deterrence for
self-defence, shortening the gap with advanced levels in the world, catching
up with the world advanced standards in some fields. Science and technology
in national defence of our country could then occupy certain position in the
kingdom of most advanced sciences and technologies in the world.

    9. The basic principle should be adhered to that “economic construction
must rely upon science and technology; scientific and technological work must
be oriented to economic construction”. The progress of science and technology
must be coordinated with the economic and social development. While this
basic principle is observed and carried out the following guiding principles
that have long-term implications should also be complied with and
implemented consciously:

    — The ideology that science and technology is the first productive
force should be observed conscientiously. Awareness of the importance of
science and technology should be disseminated among the whole party and all
the people so that the social atmosphere could be created in which knowledge
and talents are respected. Governments at different levels should
effectively strengthen leadership over scientific and technological work,
give full play to the role of scientific and technological personnel,
improve scientificness, democratization and institutionalization of
decision-making and create environment and conditions in favour of scientific
and technological development.

    — Reform and opening up should be adhered to. Science and technology
should be developed in the environment of reform and opening up. Reform of
scientific and technological system shall be coordinated with the reform of
economic system and political system. While the competitive mechanism and the
role of market should be brought into further play, governments should
strengthen their macro-control function and necessary collective management
measures and conduct intervention and coordination through policy-making,
legislative, administrative and economic means.

    — The principle of combining self-reliance, self-development and
introduction of technologies must be adhered to. Introduction, absorption
and innovation of advanced foreign technologies should be adopted as
an important approach to accelerated development of sciences and
technologies in our country.

    — The principle of “letting a hundred flowers blossom and letting a
hundred schools contend” must be adhered to. Socialist democracy should be
made full use of. Academic freedom should be safeguarded. Survey and
innovation must be encouraged.

    10. Agricultural sciences and technologies. Agriculture is the foundation
of national economy. Sustained agricultural development is a decisive factor
for long stability and coordinated development of national economy and
concerns the overall situation of construction, reform and social stability.
As population increases year after year, arable land decreases continuously,
agricultural resources are severely deficient and biological environment
deteriorates continuously, extensive approach to agriculture will have no
way out.

    Therefore the principle of agricultural prosperity relying upon science
and technology must be adhered to. Science, technology and modern industry
should be taken for strong pillars. A modernized technological system
must be established for agricultural production. Ratio of land
utilization, productivity of labour and commercialization rate of
commodities should be raised remarkably so that traditional agriculture
could be transformed to modern intensive agriculture which is based on
modern science and technology.

    Focal areas of agricultural science and technology include the following:

    — Arable land available should be effectively protected and utilized to
the full. The total state land resources, particularly large pieces of
moderate and low harvest fields, should be brought under planned
transformation. Drought and semi-drought enduring agricultural technologies,
water saving and irrigating technologies should be strenuously developed.
The potentials of hilly land, grass land, water surface and large pieces of
beach should be developed and tapped. Water conservancy should be conducted.
Erosion of water and soil should be prevented from. Biological environment
should be protected. A reasonable compound biological system covering
farming, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production and fishery should
be established.

    — More food sources should be developed. New protein resources and
mixed fodder should be developed. Multiple foodstuff producing and processing
technologies should be developed. All kinds of animal and plant resources
should be utilized comprehensively in order that food structure of citizens
in both cities and countryside could be improved.

    — Hybrid vigor and genetic engineering technologies should be utilized
for breeding of new varieties of plants and animals that are highly
productive, fine in quality and highly preventive. Farming skills and
husbandry technologies for, say, application of comprehensive and compound
fertilizer and water-saving irrigation should be studied and developed
intensively so that quantity and quality of agricultural products could be
raised substantially.

    — Agriculture and township enterprises should be equipped with
up-to-date industrial technologies. Technologies for preserving, keeping
fresh, processing, packing and comprehensive utilizing of agricultural
products should be developed in order that agricultural industrialization and
management could be facilitated and surplus labour in agriculture could be
transformed to a commodity economy in the countryside.

    11. Industrial sciences and technologies. Industry is a dominant
department in national economy. The technological level, productive capacity
and economic efficiency of industry in our country dominate the whole
economic development. Our country has established a preliminary industrial
system with relatively complete departments. But generally speaking the
backward situation of industrial technologies remains unchanged in basic
terms. It is observed that equipment, technologies and management skills
are so backward, designs are so out of date and the level of mechanization
and automatization is so low that performance and quality of products are
poor, energy and material consumption is high and economic efficiency and
international competitive capacity of the products are low.

    Therefore the main tasks for industrial scientific and technological
development are: to transform major industrial fields of our country with
modern sciences and technologies and particularly micro-electric technologies;
to readjust and optimize industrial structure; to extensively utilize
new technological theories and new designing methods; to renew equipment,
technologies and products; to develop new manufacturing technologies and
resources exploitation technologies; to raise the level of automation and
computerization in large-scale production; to enlarge the proportion of
domestically made sets of advanced technological equipment in major trades
of industry and improve management technological level and safe production
technological level; and consequently to raise economic efficiency, enrich