Editorials

The march of science

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-15 07:45

We tip our hats and raise our glasses in salute to the two winners of the 2010 top scientific and technological award.

Shi Changxu, material expert from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Wang Zhengyi, hematologist from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, who won the award on Friday, deserve all the honors showered on them for their outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation.

The award ceremony, held at the Great Hall of the People in the presence of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, should be a good occasion for us to review the state of science and technology in the country.

China is ranked 9th, above France, Italy and Canada, in international science and technology publications. Despite not being one of the world's most advanced countries, China has set up a relatively comprehensive system for the promotion and cultivation of science with indigenous research and development in life sciences, nanotechnology, space technology and other globally important fields.

Our pool of about 1 million scientists and engineers are second only to the United States in number.

China began an experiment with the release of the Medium- to Long-term Plan for Development of Science and Technology in 2006. The plan is committed to developing capabilities for "indigenous innovation" and leapfrogging into leading positions in new science-based industries by 2020.

Thanks to the country's remarkable economic achievement its record of innovation in commercial technologies has picked up with recent improvements in patenting performance.

But research results have not lived up to expectations. Brain drain has slowed the development of high-level scientific leadership, with many of the country's best and brightest people seeking career opportunities abroad.

The way China uses overseas-returned scientists and technologists is controversial, too. The high salaries and material incentives paid to recruit them to Chinese institutions could dampen the spirit of the scientists working at home. Broad areas of social needs cannot possibly be managed without increasingly sophisticated technology.

The country's technological capabilities have been failing to meet its needs in many areas, such as energy, water and resource utilization, environmental protection, and public health. Given its breadth and depth, the plan is expected to have a major effect on the development of science and technology in China this decade.

The plan calls for China to become an "innovative society" by 2020 and a world leader in science and technology by 2050.

China has no choice but to rely on its own scientific and technological breakthroughs, but it should take advantage of the global resources to make more scientific discoveries and technological inventions.

(China Daily 01/15/2011 page5)