National Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan

National Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan
Name	National Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan
Adopted	2006
Jurisdiction	People's Republic of China
Responsible	Ministry of Science and Technology
Related	Five-Year Plan, National High-Tech R&D Program

National Medium- and Long-Term Science and Technology Development Plan is a strategic blueprint issued by the People's Republic of China to guide technological innovation and industrial modernization over multi-decade horizons. The Plan seeks to align resources across institutions such as the Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University and Peking University with national objectives embodied in the Five-Year Plan and initiatives like Made in China 2025. It influenced collaborations among firms including Huawei, ZTE, Baidu, Alibaba and State Grid and shaped funding mechanisms involving the National Natural Science Foundation of China and China Development Bank.

Background and Objectives

The Plan emerged amid policy debates alongside the 11th National Congress and the 11th Five-Year Plan, drawing on precedents such as the Reform and Opening-up era reforms associated with Deng Xiaoping and the strategic planning traditions exemplified by the Soviet Union's Gosplan and Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry. It articulated objectives to elevate capabilities at institutions like the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Institute of Automation, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University, reduce dependence on imports from multinational corporations such as Intel, Qualcomm, Microsoft and Boeing, and support missions exemplified by the Shenzhou, Tianhe, Chang'e and BeiDou programs. The Plan set targets for innovation capacity, indigenous core technologies and ecosystems linking firms like Lenovo, CATL, CRRC and China National Nuclear Corporation.

Key Policies and Strategic Priorities

Key policies prioritized indigenous innovation, talent cultivation and sectoral upgrading across areas championed by leaders associated with the Central Committee and the State Council. Priorities included semiconductors where companies like SMIC and TSMC are relevant comparators, renewable energy involving Goldwind and Trina Solar, aerospace involving China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and COMAC, biotechnology linked to BGI and Sinopharm, and information technologies involving Zhongguancun, Huawei and Tencent. Policies referenced international frameworks and competitors such as the National Science Foundation, European Commission, DARPA and Japan Science and Technology Agency while emphasizing institutions like the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone and Shenzhen Special Economic Zone as demonstration sites.

Implementation and Institutional Framework

Implementation relied on ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Finance, State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and local provincial governments in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Sichuan. Research execution involved laboratories at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University and Harbin Institute of Technology, with enterprise participation from Huawei, ZTE, BYD, Sinopec and China Mobile. Financial instruments used included policies from the China Development Bank, Export-Import Bank of China, National Social Security Fund and venture capital guided by institutions like Sequoia China, IDG Capital and Zhongguancun Science Park governance.

Major Programs and Priority Technologies

The Plan spawned major programs such as the National High-Tech R&D Program (863 Program), National Basic Research Program (973 Program), National Science and Technology Major Project and the National Key R&D Program, which supported projects in semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, quantum communication, nuclear power, high-speed rail, and biomedicine. Notable flagship projects include collaborations underpinning the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, Chang'e lunar exploration, Shenzhou crewed missions, Tianhe supercomputing efforts involving Sunway TaihuLight, and high-speed rail systems delivered by CRRC. Partnerships linked research centers at MIT, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, Max Planck Society and CNRS with domestic laboratories.

Funding, Evaluation, and Performance Metrics

Funding flowed through mechanisms such as earmarked state budgets, national research grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, special funds overseen by the Ministry of Finance, state-owned enterprises' R&D spending, and venture capital mobilized by policy banks and private investors. Evaluation frameworks drew on peer review at academies like the Chinese Academy of Sciences and international benchmarks such as publications indexed in Science and Nature, patent filings with the World Intellectual Property Organization, citation metrics tracked via Web of Science, and innovation indices published by the World Economic Forum and OECD. Performance metrics emphasized outcomes at firms like Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, SMIC and BYD, as well as university rankings where Peking University and Tsinghua University featured prominently.

National and International Impact and Collaboration

The Plan influenced China's position in global value chains, prompting responses from the United States Department of Commerce, European Commission trade policy, Japan's METI, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and multinationals such as Intel and NVIDIA. It fostered international collaboration with institutions including CERN, NASA, European Space Agency, UNESCO and the World Health Organization, while also shaping bilateral science diplomacy with countries like Russia, Germany, France, United Kingdom and Australia. Outcomes included increased Chinese participation in publications, patenting, mergers and acquisitions involving companies like Geely, Volvo and Daimler, and expanded outbound investment via China Investment Corporation and Silk Road-related projects.

Criticisms, Challenges, and Revisions

Critiques arose from scholars at Harvard University, Stanford University, London School of Economics and Oxford University regarding issues such as technology transfer practices, intellectual property disputes, market distortions linked to state-owned enterprises, and centralized target-setting. Challenges included talent mobility constraints between domestic institutions and diaspora researchers, supply-chain vulnerabilities exposed by export controls from the United States, sanctions affecting firms like Huawei and ZTE, and coordination tensions among ministries and provincial authorities. Subsequent revisions and successor initiatives were debated in venues such as the National People's Congress, Central Committee policy deliberations, academic forums at Zhejiang University and policy institutes including the Development Research Center and China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

Category:Science and technology policy of the People's Republic of China