This Day, That Year

Item from Nov 30, 1989, in China Daily: China has pooled hundreds of millions of yuan since 1984 in an ambitious plan to set up 63 first-class laboratories across the country. Establishing 27 national key labs, authorities plan to build the remaining 36 in the coming two years. They will be open to scientific research application worldwide.

Thanks to strong policy support and a growing pool of talent, China is rapidly being transformed from a follower into a global leader in innovation.

Last year, authorities spent 1.57 trillion yuan ($238 billion) in research and development, from about 1 trillion yuan in 2012.