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CIRCULAR OF THE STATE COUNCIL ON TRANSMISSION OF THE STATE MEDIUM- AND LONG-TERM PROGRAMME ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

    The Medium- and Long-term Outlines on Science and Technology Development
and the Ten-Year Programme and Eighth Five-Year Plan of the People's
Republic of China on Science and Technology Development has been agreed to
in principle by the State Council and will be circulated separately by the
State Science and Technology Commission.

THE STATE MEDIUM- AND LONG-TERM PROGRAMME ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT

    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.

    The present Programme is formulated according to the Decision of the 13th
National Congress of Representatives of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and
gists of successive CPC Central Plenary Sessions ever since the 13th
Congress. The purpose of the Programme is to precisely stipulate strategies,
guidelines, policies and key areas regarding medium and long term development
of natural sciences and technologies in our country and to direct
coordinative development of science and technology on one hand and economy
and society on the other hand by the year 2000 even throughout 2020.
I. Situation And Choice

    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.

    Looking into the future, we should have a clear-headed awareness of the
serious situation while we should all the more be conscious of our
advantages and meet those challenges with full confidence. By now our
country has owned relatively strong scientific and technological power and
has achieved a lot of successful experiences. More significantly the ten
years of reform and opening up has vitalized the development of both
economy and science and technology. So long as we conscientiously carry
out the basic guidelines of the party, give full play to the role of
science and technology as the first productive force, rouse ourselves up and
unite in struggle, we will surely be able to accelerate development of
social productivity, shake off poverty and backwardness, realize the
ambitious objectives of modernization and make socialism fully demonstrate
its superiority.
II. Strategies and Guiding Principles

    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.

    --- The principle of combining popularization with the raising of
standards should be adhered to. While both comprehensive and in-depth
arrangements for scientific and technological development are made, the
mass technological innovations should be actively encouraged. Scientific
knowledge should be strenuously popularized and scientific awareness of
the workers should be improved continuously. A long-term struggle should
be conducted against ignorance and superstition.
III. Focal Development Areas

    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
variety of products, improve quality and strengthen international
competitive capacity.

    --- Energy is a critical factor for promotion of the national economic
development. Energy science and technology development should be subject to
the principle of attaching equal value to development and economized use.
Utilization ratio of energy should be raised dramatically, utilization
structure should be improved and pollution should be decreased.

    Work of energy concerned science and technology should be focused on
development of technologies for exploration and exploitation of oil in desert
and the sea; technologies for rise of exploitation ratio in old oil fields;
technologies for coal mining, utilization, safe production and cleaning;
technologies for manufacturing of large capacity and advanced
thermal-power-driven machines; technologies for construction of hydro-electric
power station under sophisticated conditions; technologies for transmission
and distribution of extrahigh voltage electricity; technologies for research
and development of large-scale and advanced nuclear energy and nuclear safety;
technologies for development of new, economical, applicable energies and
energies applicable in countryside and technologies to be extensively expanded
and utilized for economizing on energy.

    --- Transportation and communication are important infrastructure and
prerequired departments for national economic and social development.

    Utilization of science and technology for promotion of transportation and
communication development should be targeted to dramatically raising
comprehensive transportation efficiency and utilization ratio of equipment on
the basis of coordinated development of various transportation technologies
and developing advanced communication network and communication technologies.

    Focal efforts in transportation concerned science and technology
development should be: to accelerate research and development of key
technologies for containerized transport, high-speed passenger transport
and passenger-cargo multiple chained transport; to accelerate research and
development of key technologies for railway high-weight transport and
technologies for high-speed railway passenger transport of specific lines at
200 kilometers per hour and above; to research and develop technologies for
transport using high-efficiency energy; to develop key technologies for
oceangoing transport, inland water transport system and boats manufacturing;
to develop new technologies for expressway and Grade 1 and Grade 2
automobile-specific traffic lines, for high-efficiency truck transport and
for manufacturing all kinds of motor cycles; to develop technologies for
designing, manufacturing and batch production of aircraft for major flights
within our country; to strengthen research on technologies for flying safety;
and to strenuously expand and utilize computer and automatic technologies
with a view to improving management modernization of transportation as soon as
possible.

    Focal points of development of communication science and technology should
be: to develop as a priority technologies for satellite communication and
optical fiber communication; to emphasize development of digital micro-wave
communication and movable communication; to research and develop
technologies for digital programme controlled exchange and communication
network and gradually develop technologies for digital network of
comprehensive business.

    --- Materials industry is a basic industry of national economy.
Development of materials science and technology should be mainly directed to
improvement of quality, enlargement of variety, deduction of costs and
alleviation of the tension between demand and supply.

    Focal points of materials science and technology should be: to strengthen
technologies for resources exploitation and comprehensive utilization and
well conduct exploration, analysis and comprehensive evaluation of mineral
resources; to develop advanced technology for exploitation and selection of
materials and whole sets of equipment and to research into exploitation and
comprehensive utilization of intergrown minerals; to strengthen research into
ferrous and nonferrous metals, organic macromolecule and inorganic nonmetallic
materials and strengthen research and development of technology for
modification of traditional materials and new materials; to develop
high-class fine chemical products specific in use and superior in performance
and to research and develop new technologies for coal chemical industry and
for retrieving and re-utilization of reclaimed resources.

    --- Machinery and electronics are equipment industries of the national
economy. The performance, quality, efficiency and turnover rate of mechanic
and electronic equipment determine productive and technical level and
economical efficiency of different fields in national economy.

    Focal points of mechanical and electronic science and technology are: to
research on and develop key technologies for designing, manufacturing and
testing basic mechanical components and new generation electronic cells so
that quality and reliability of basic products could be raised
comprehensively; to develop technologies for design and manufacture of
important complete sets of equipment and technologies for process control of
systems; to develop products that are based on combination of mechanical and
electronic technologies; to develop computer-aid design technology,
manufacture and testing technology, numeral control and sensing test
technology; to develop and spread electric and electronic technologies for
saving on energy.

    --- Consumer goods industry is closely related to people's livelihood and
thus most important. But scientific and technical level of that industry is
relatively backward and potential for further development is rather high.

    Consumer goods industries like light industry, textile, clothing,
household electric appliances, etc. should extensively introduce advanced
mechanical and electronic technologies, gradually introduce international
standards, create new color and pattern varieties, improve products quality
and actively expand export.

    12. Science and technology on social development. Whether or not the
increase of population could be brought under successful control, quality of
the population could be improved, natural resources could be properly
exploited and ecological environment could be protected are important
matters concerning the future of the Chinese nation. A comprehensive
approach in terms of political, economic, social and cultural aspects should
be adopted to solve those problems and at the same time research and
application of science and technology on social development should be
strengthened.

    Focal points of science and technology on social development are:

    --- To strengthen scientific research on population for resolute control
of population increase; to vigorously improve and perfect present birth
control technical skills and practices for more safe, convenient, economical
and effective methods.

    --- To strengthen research on meteorology, earthquake and natural
calamities like flood and drought; to develop disaster relief techniques; to
establish as soon as possible an engineering system for monitor, assessment of
natural calamity and decision-making-aiding techniques; to timely monitor,
forecast and assess calamity developing process using remote sensing
techniques and systematic monitoring techniques so as to allow for early
action and reduced loss.

    --- To research and develop different highly effective complete sets of
techniques and equipment for control of pollution, paying special attention
to techniques for reducing burning coal pollution; to develop ecological
engineering constructions; to begin research into greenhouse effect, acid
rain, ozone and their influence upon environment and human body and put
forward responsive strategies.

    --- Development of medical science and technology concerns the national
economy and the people's livelihood and occupies an important position in
terms of social development. Our country's precious traditional medicines
and rich medicinal resources should be used and developed to the full.
Research on national medical science should be strengthened. Research on
common diseases, frequent diseases that endanger people's health and
research on gerontology should be strengthened. Independent development
should be promoted for creation of different new medicines high in quality
and effect but low in side-effect. Research on and production of medical
equipment and apparatus should also be reinforced.

    --- For improvement of people's living environment and housing condition,
technical level in respect to programming, design, operation and management
of construction in urban and rural areas should be raised. Economical,
practical and advanced building materials and operational instruments should
be developed so that quality and function of residence in both cities and
countryside could be improved and technical level of public installments and
public services could be heightened.

    13. High technologies and hi-tech industry. High technology and high-tech
industry is a source and foundation for sustained development of social
productivity. From the very beginning, research on high technology should be
closely combined with technical innovations in traditional industries,
should serve to expand hi-tech development zones, facilitate hi-tech
commercialization, industrialization and internationalization. Major attempts
should be made to achieve breakthroughs in fields of micro-electronics,
information, biology, new materials, aeronautics and astronautics, automation,
new energy, laser and oceanology so that our country may occupy certain
position in hi-tech community of the world.

    Focal points of high technology development are:

    --- Microelectronics and computer techniques are the technological
pillars of modern science and technology and supports to national economic
development. Different forces should be concentrated to accelerate
construction of designing, manufacturing and testing centres of micron and
sub-micron silicon integrated circuits and to research on technology for
production of super-large scale integrated circuits. Concurrently techniques
for manufacture of arsenide gallium integrated circuits and optical electronic
integration should also be developed. Major efforts should be devoted to
development and commodity production of superhigh function parallel computer
and software systems. Research should be conducted for development of computer
of the newest generation and techniques in processing of information in
Chinese language, man-made interaction and artificial intelligence. Research
should be conducted for development of techniques in flexible manufacturing
system, robot and integrated computer manufacture system.

    --- Development of biological technology has opened up a new approach to
development of industrial and agricultural production, and will become a
powerful method for solution of important problems of the present world
concerning food, health, resources and environment, etc.. Major efforts
should be devoted to research and breeding of new plant and animal varieties,
research and production of new biological products, medicines and new fungus
varieties, development of microbial transform and comprehensive utilization of
reproductive resources.

    --- New materials technology may bring forth breakthrough and basic
change in some technical fields. Research should be conducted for
development and expanded use of new materials such as compound materials,
structural and functional ceramics, amorphous materials, super-conductive
materials and optical-electronic materials, etc..

    --- Aeronautical and astronautical technologies have far-reaching
significance to growth of comprehensive state strength and rise of scientific
and technological level. Continuous efforts should be strengthened to research
and develop astronautical mechanics, propelling techniques, techniques in
monitor and control and aeronautical techniques in manned space flight,
maintaining our international status in this field.

    14. Basic research and applied basic research. Basic research and applied
basic research are the precursors to new techniques and new inventions, are
the powerful backing to scientific, technological and economic development,
and are the cradles to foster scientific and technological talents, therefore
deserving sufficient attention. While general arrangements should be made
for development of frontier sciences, multi-disciplinary and comprehensive
researches should be devoted and focused on strategic key areas of national
economy such as agriculture, energy, traffic and transportation, information,
materials, etc. and on important problems in population, medicine and hygiene,
resources, ecology, environment, natural calamity and national security.

    Focal points of basic and applied basic researches are:

    --- To strengthen research on basic frontier sciences such as
coacervation physics, molecular biology, chemistry, oceanology, ecology and
information. Particularly breakthrough should be attempted in research on
physical mechanism of high critical point super-conduction. Research should be
strengthened on intersection among physics and life science, materials
science, energy science, etc.. Research should be strengthened in both theory
and method of non-linear mathematics, numerical analysis and large-scale
scientific and technological calculation.

    --- Research on molecular biology and cell biology should be targeted at
discovery of basic laws governing heredity, differentiation and growth at the
level of molecular and cell. Such laws can serve as theoretic basis upon
which modern biological technologies can be developed. Chemical research on
life process should be strengthened. Chemistry of polymer, catalysis,
surface and rare-earth should be developed with a view to surveying new
materials. Attention should be paid to research and tracking of the research
on molecular design and micro-reaction mechanics.

    --- Geoscience research should take an integrative view of the
sophisticated coupling system comprising solid earth, gaseous sphere, water
sphere and biosphere, and should provide basic materials and theories for
solving important problems such as resources, energy, environment and natural
calamity, etc.. Ecological research should be focused on coordinated evolution
of systems, mechanism of degenerated ecological systems and construction of
optimized artificial systems so as to contribute to environmental improvement
and promotion of social development.

    --- Research of information science should highly value the development
of intelligence-orientation and should strive for breakthrough in solving
technical key problems in communication, computer and automatic control, etc..

    --- The development of space science should depend on strengthened
research in basic space science and close combination with high technology.
Major efforts should be devoted to research in physical, chemical and living
phenomena under micro gravity and overall behaviour of the solar-earth system.

    15. National defence science and technology. Development of science and
technology on national defence is an important factor in maintaining
national security and reinforcing comprehensive state strength. Science and
technology on national defence should be developed in the light of the
practical circumstances at the socialist preliminary stage, in compatibility
with strategic arrangements for economic construction and military strategies
in the new time, and should centre on general efficiency. The development of
science and technology on national defence should be propelled by both
practical demands and technical initiatives, and should track selected
frontiers and attempt breakthrough in key areas.

    --- Advanced national defence science and technology should be applied
to facilitate progress of weaponry and equipment and to accelerate
realization of military strategies and objectives in the new time. This is
the key task for the development of national defence science and technology.
Where state finance permits, development priority should go to the weaponry
and equipment system that will play an important role in raising the fighting
capacity of our army and will play a leading role in promotion of the
national defence scientific and technical level in particular and even the
scientific and technical level of our country in general. Therefore, research
should be strengthened to develop key technologies that are significant to the
establishment of the weaponry and equipment system.

    --- We should observe the principle of military-civilian combination,
highly value theoretic survey, strengthen advanced applied researches and
lay a solid foundation for sustained and stable development of national
defence science and technology.
IV. Deepening Reform and Establishing a New System for the Benefit of
Economic Development and Scientific and Technological Progress

    16. The scientific and technological system in our country must be
beneficial to the economic development. In turn the economic system in our
country must be in favour of scientific and technological progress. To further
realize integration of science, technology and the economy, we must start from
the success and experiences already achieved and keep on to deepen reform
according to the principle of coordination and mutual-supplementation.

    The general goal of the reform of our scientific and technological system
is: to establish and perfect a new system, which is consistent with the law of
scientific and technological development, compatible with the socialist
planned commodity economy, and beneficial to the organic combination and
mutual-promotion of science, technology and economy; to make scientific and
technological work actively serve the socialist planned commodity economy; to
lead economic construction onto the path of relying on scientific and
technological progress and improvement of labour quality and; to give full
play to the role of science and technology as the first productive force.

    Concrete objectives of the reform of scientific and technological system
are:

    --- to transform government functions, to establish a macro management
system that organically integrates direct planned management with indirect
management; and to make the system standardized and legalized;

    --- to reform the scientific and technological personnel management system
for creation of a favourable environment in which talents are coming forth
in large numbers and are used to the full, and to establish a socialized
service system intended for the scientific and technological personnel and
activities;

    --- to establish both industrial and countryside research, development
and spread systems in which research and development institutions are
organically combined and reasonably coordinated with enterprises and
countryside;

    --- to foster and establish socialist market sub-systems of
materials, techniques, labour and information, etc. for creation of an
environment in favour of proper competition in scientific and technological
development;

    --- to form a multi-channel scientific and technological investment system
comprising governments, localities, enterprises and banking institutions, etc.;

    --- to form a scientific and technological organizational structure which
is adaptable to the development of a socialist planned commodity economy.

    Reform of the scientific and technological system should be complying with
objective requirements of economic development and scientific and
technological progress and should be conducted step by step with a
fundamental structure of the new system formed by 2000 and gradually
perfected in late years.

    17. The core of the scientific and technological system reform is to
establish a new operation mechanism by which planned management can be
organically integrated with market readjustment and the advantages of the
integration can be given full play. A fair competition mechanism should be
introduced, which can bring forth a desirable flow of labour, technology and
information. The market mechanism of guidance by demands should also be
introduced so that the scientific and technological progress can become the
internal requirement of social economic activity. Still other relevant
operational mechanisms should be established in the light of difference in
level and characteristics of scientific and technological development.

    Basic research, applied basic research, scientific and technological work
in the nature of public welfare should be targeted at scientific survey
and achievement of macro economic and social efficiency. The state should
offer sustained and stable financial support to such researches and work. Over
a relatively long period of time to come, large-scale comprehensive research
and key projects should be principally supported by the state and managed in
a planned mode while at the same time necessary competition should also be
introduced for the purpose of desirable investment efficiency. Technical
development and application spread which may generate immediate economic
efficiency should, under the guidance of the state industrial policies,
give more play to the role of market readjustment.

    18. The state macro scientific and technological management and control
system should be perfected. Government functions in that regard should be
effectively transformed, giving priority to formulation and implementation
of principles, policies, programmes, plans and regulations on scientific and
technological development. Legal, policy-making, administrative and economic
means should be used comprehensively to promote scientific and technological
progress.

    The state should reinforce control measures, raise macro-control ability,
strengthen and improve planned management through state decrees. At the same
time, the scope under instruction and planning should be gradually broadened.
Multiple investment channels such as credit, risk-involved investment
should be developed to support scientific and technological development.
Technical innovations should be encouraged. The scientific and technological
rewarding system should be strengthened and improved. The state should protect
intellectual property, give play to patents, promote commercialization and
industrialization of technical achievements and create an environment in
favour of scientific and technological progress. The state should strengthen
work in standardization, measure and quality supervision, formulate technical
standards and perfect the state quality supervision and safeguarding system.

    19. With the deepening of economic systematic reform, trades and
enterprises should be the main body to conduct technical development.
Capacity of enterprises in technical consumption and self-development should
be strengthened. Within enterprises, a technical development and management
system should be established. Lateral unification between enterprises,
between enterprises and other research and development institutions and
colleges should be promoted in different forms. It should also be encouraged
to form corporate groups with large and medium-sized enterprises as
backbones and with commodities of high quality and well-know brands as major
products. Such groups should integrate research with production and have the
comprehensive functions of technical development, production, marketing and
services. Particular support should be given to corporate groups that are
science-and-technology oriented or have strong international competitiveness.

    It is of great significance to economic development for different trades
to strengthen scientific and technical work. With a view to saving on
resources, concentrating forces and providing better technical support to
enterprises, professional technical research and development centres attached
to respective trades should be established and perfected on a selective
basis. Such centres should be able to undertake research and development
tasks over basic common techniques, frontier techniques and sets of techniques
for relevant trades. Professional technical research and development centres
should be supported jointly by the state, trades and enterprises. They should
adopt independent management and fulfil tasks commissioned by the state,
relevant trades or enterprises.

    20. Reform of the scientific and technological system in countryside
should be strengthened. Development of agriculture in our country must depend
on science and technology. The state should continue to strengthen support to
agricultural research and technological spread. During the course of the
scientific and technological system reform, steady increase of funds for
agricultural science and technology and sustained enlargement of scientific
and technological contingents for agriculture should be secured. Research
institutions at different levels, colleges, training schools and skilled
personnel should be instructed and encouraged to cooperate with local
governments in joint research and development of regional economic
technologies. The state and localities should support and lead the
development of agricultural scientific and technological institutions at the
county level and below into business entities with independent accounting
and comprehensive business including technical development, expansion and
technical services. Practices of paid service should be introduced. In this
way work of agricultural technologies spread can be vitalized.

    To meet requirements of agricultural commodity economic developments,
business entities of different ownership with combined business scope
inclusive of technology, farming, industrial and commercial transactions
should be developed under proper leadership. Advanced and applicable
industrial technologies should be used to equip new countryside enterprises,
and different farmers' professional technical associations should be involved
in providing services to the whole process of commodity production of
farming households. While the household responsibility contract system is
maintained, a double-layer business mechanism based on uniform management
and independent operation could be developed so that certain production
scale could be reached and the products could enter both domestic and
international markets.

    Various flexible and effective forms should be adopted to conduct regular
technical education and training of farmers so that they can master modern
technologies and knowledge.

    Research institutions, colleges and training schools, and scientific and
technological personnel should be led and encouraged to obtain contracts in
countryside, establish township enterprises and other trades with a view to
promoting escalation of countryside industrial structure and technical level.

    21. A scientific and technological organizational structure should be
established that is adapted to the development of the socialist planned
commodity economy. Research and development institutions in our country
should be of multi-layer, multi-function and different ownership. Some of
those institutions should be intended for the whole nation while some
should be oriented to specific trades and some to certain regions. Those
institutions should also be differentiated in terms of their commitments with
some engaged in basic and applied research and others engaged in technical
development. Such institutions should be under the state, collective and
individual ownership. The China Academy of Sciences and research and
development agencies attached to different departments, colleges and
large-scale key enterprises are the mainstay of our scientific and
technological undertakings and should enjoy focal support of governments at
different levels. Under the precondition that public ownership dominates, the
state should continue to guide mass-run research institutions to healthy
development as an important supplement to socialist scientific and
technological undertakings.

    According to requirements of economic and social development in our
country and in the light of operational mechanisms of scientific and
technological development at different layers, the scientific and
technological organizational structure should be readjusted. The state should
devote major supports to part research institutions who undertake tasks in
basic research, applied basic research, research work for public welfare,
important comprehensive and long-term researches and research on techniques
for common application of whole trades. Most other state-owned research units,
particularly those medium and small-size research units that are engaged in
technical development, should, in the light of individual circumstances and
under the guidance of relevant state policies, undergo restructuring and
reorganization according to the mechanism of market readjustment. Some of
them may be developed into scientifically and technologically oriented
enterprises to provide hi-tech products and services for both domestic and
overseas markets. Some of them may be merged with other enterprises to
form corporate groups. Some of them may join enterprises to be technical
departments and technical trial bases of enterprises. Some may be developed
into professional technical development and service centers targeted for
medium- and small-size enterprises and the countryside.

    22. A socialized management system of scientific and technological staff
should be established gradually. Development of the planned commodity economy
requires certain mobility of scientific and technological staff. Management
of scientific and technological personnel should be loosened and vitalized.
While necessary planned management over scientific and technological
personnel should be maintained to satisfy state demands, necessary movement of
talents should be permitted to form desirable combination with other
productive components according to market demands. Socialization of
commodity production and talents development laws require socialization of
scientific and technological personnel management. Therefore a
correspondent socialized management system of scientific and technological
personnel should be gradually established and perfected. Such a system
should be the target of the reform in scientific and technological
personnel management. To realize this target supplementary reforms should be
initiated in an active and reliable manner.

    The administrative mode by which management of scientific and
technological personnel is monopolized by the state should be changed
gradually. The market of scientific and technological labour should be
loosened in a planned manner. Laws should be formulated to guarantee the
possibility of scientific and technological personnel in choice of jobs and to
introduce an employment contract system in which both scientific and
technological personnel and employing units enjoy freedom. Consequently
talents, particularly senior scientific and technological talents, can enjoy
mobility in a rational way, and the professional employment system based on
technical posts can be established and perfected step by step. A new
distribution mechanism should be formed according to the principle of
distribution according to work so that scientific and technological personnel
can be motivated to devote themselves wholeheartedly to work. A social
security system should be established, through which present insurance
undertakings run by the state could be transferred to the society.
Unemployment insurance, endowment insurance, medical insurance and malpractice
insurance for scientific and technological personnel could then be undertaken
by the society. Household register and housing systems should be reformed to
adapt to demands for personnel mobility. This is a hard and complicated task
necessitating efforts over a long time.
V. Adhering to Opening up, Vigorously Promoting International Cooperation
and Exchange in Science and Technology

    23. Science and technology has become common knowledge and property of
all the human beings day by day. Among international relationships,
scientific and technological exchange is always the forerunner of
international exchange and one of the most stable field of cooperation.
Therefore to actively promote international scientific and technological
cooperation and exchange should be an important long-standing guideline
for the development of scientific and technological undertakings in our
country.

    To develop international scientific and technological cooperation and
exchange must follow principles of independence, self-reliance, equality,
mutual-benefit, and the policy of opening up to the outside world. Laws and
conventions on international scientific and technological cooperation should
be observed. Intellectual property should be protected. While we should join
in advancing scientific and technological progress of the world, we should
accelerate upgrading scientific and technological level of our country,
strengthen the self-relying capacity of our scientific and technological work
and gradually establish a scientific research and technical development and
innovation system which has international competitiveness.

    24. Comprehensive international scientific and technological cooperation
and exchange should be developed where necessary to our country and possible
in practice. While scientific and technological cooperation between
governments should be conducted well, non-governmental cooperation in science
and technology should be expanded in scope and scale. Exchange with foreign
partners by enterprises, research institutions, colleges and non-governmental
scientific and technological organizations should be expanded step by step.
For the benefit of international scientific and technological cooperation, we
must not only do a good job in mutual cooperation but also develop
multi-lateral cooperation taking full advantage of international
organizations. When we are conducting scientific and technological exchange
with advanced countries we must strengthen such exchange and cooperation with
developing countries. Economic and trade cooperation with other countries
should be promoted with scientific and technological exchange and technique
trade as the forerunner.

    25. It is a long-term strategy for accelerated modernization of our
country to effectively introduce, digest, assimilate and innovate in
technologies.

    Selection of technologies to be introduced should follow the principle of
satisfaction of our country's needs and improvement of self-development
ability. Feasibility study should be done well in advance to introduction.
The state should formulate legislation regarding technological introduction,
priority of the introduction and standards to be applied. The state should
strengthen macro-control and management so as to prevent from arbitrary and
repeated introduction. The state should also stress efforts on
protection of intellectual property.

    Technological introduction should be integrated with major domestic
campaign in scientific and technological research and trade in technology.
Special attention should be paid to introduction of softwares and key
technologies, to coordination of such factors as technology, funds, equipment,
management, talents and the market.

    The state should, through legislation, ensure funding sources for
digesting, assimilation and innovation of introduced technologies; and should
ensure for involvement of research institutions in the whole process of such
digest, assimilation and innovation. Proportion of domestic components should
be substantially increased with introduced technologies and equipment.

    26. External scientific and technological cooperation and exchange should
be closely integrated with our country's programmes for economic, social,
scientific and technological development. Such forms as cooperative research,
joint development and cooperative operation should be actively adopted to
develop international scientific and technological cooperation. Some
scientific and technological fields, which are most necessary to our country
or have certain advantages, should be selected to be involved in
international large programmes and projects of science and technology.
Conditions should be created for joint adventure in research, development,
design, production and information service with foreign institutions
or international organizations in our own country or abroad so that
cooperation in technological economy could be promoted.

    27. External scientific and technological cooperation and exchange should
contribute to development of externally oriented economy and should provide
technical support and services to export of high additional-value products
and hi-tech products with their proportion to the total export value
increased. Technological export should be organized actively subject to the
precondition that optimum economic efficiency is obtained. Those hi-tech
research and development institutions and enterprises that have promising
prospect of export should be rendered more support in terms of policies, funds
and external affairs authority so as to acquire more business flexibility. A
group of scientific and technological management talents should be trained and
brought up in a planned manner, who are expert in technology, familiar with
international environment and efficient in foreign languages. Vigorous efforts
should be devoted to introduce people educated abroad to externally
oriented hi-tech industries.

    28. Relevant policies should be formulated and perfected to stimulate
external contacts, academic exchange and intellectual export of scientific
and technological personnel. Convenience should be created for scientific
and technological personnel to attend international conferences, conduct
academic visits and guest research, take concurrent jobs abroad and
to accept posts with international organizations. For scientific and
technological personnel to go abroad for academic activities, the authority
over examination and approval of such matter should be transferred to lower
level and correspondent formalities should be simplified. Conditions should be
actively created to attract excellent scientific and technological people
working abroad to come home for posts and to employ foreign experts to work in
science, technology or education, give instructions or advice to production
and business or take up management posts.

    Where necessary and possible, intellectual export should be organized in
a planned manner and should contribute to earning more foreign exchange. More
experts, managers should be dispatched abroad to work with, contract or
manage technical projects, provide technical service and to establish
research and engineering technology service entities abroad.

    29. Favourable conditions and environment should be created for
international scientific and technological cooperation and exchange.
Collection and exchange of scientific and technological information both
within and abroad should be strengthened. Research on concerned scientific and
technological status quo and policies should be developed country by country
or in a comparative approach. Strategies, principles and policies on
scientific and technological cooperation and exchange should be formulated in
the light of characteristics and advantages of different countries in
different fields. Funding sources should be developed for external cooperation
and exchange. Both domestic and overseas channels should be approached for
collection of funds in support of international cooperation and exchange in
science and technology.
VI. Policy and Measure

    30. With a view to guaranteeing first priority given to scientific and
technological progress in terms of state development strategy, highest state
authority should substantially strengthen leadership over scientific and
technological work, make unified planning and provide overall guidance upon
problems important to coordinated development of science, technology,
society and economy of the whole country. Functions of state departments in
charge of scientific and technological work should be strengthened; their
macro-decision-making competence should be raised in real earnest. Various
divisional and decentralized tendencies should be overcome. The limited
resources should be used where they are most necessary so that key state
projects on science and technology can be realized.

    31. Investment in science and technology should be strengthened and
financial management of science and technology should be improved. While
state financial allocation should be increased steadily, social investment
in science and technology should be enlarged step by step. The situation of
state financial allocation as the sole funding source should be changed and
expanded to include three funding pillars of financial allocation, money
raising by enterprises themselves and loans from banking institutions. At the
same time funds from among the people and overseas sources should also be
invited. A multi-source and multi-layer investment system in science and
technology should be established so as to substantially enlarge total social
investment in development of science and technology.

    The government should properly increase investment in science and
technology and introduce preferential policies in favour of hi-tech
development. Enterprises should highly value development of new products,
enlarge input into research development, increase funds for development of
agricultural research and encourage township enterprises to invest in
agricultural science and technology.

    The banking system should establish specific credit items for scientific
and technological development and increase loans on science and technology.
Budget for scientific and technological credit should be increased
remarkably by the year 2000.

    Scientific and technological investment structure should be readjusted.
Funds for basic research and applied basic research should account for 10%
of the total research and development funds at the end of the century.
Financial support should be strengthened to development of intermediate trials
and productive technologies, commercialization and industrialization of
technological achievements. Some high technologies and hi-tech industries
should be selected for substantially reinforced investment and gradual
application of risk-attached investment.

    The scientific and technological funds management system should be
reformed continuously. The state investment in science and technology should
be managed in a unified manner and should introduce a competitive mechanism.
Different methods including item-specific allocation, foundation systems,
all-round responsibility contract systems, bidding systems and contract
systems should be adopted in consideration of different scientific and
technological projects. State planned projects with desirable economic
efficiency should be invested jointly by the state and the beneficiary in
proportion. A system of examination and evaluation over research and
development projects and an independent technological assessment institution
should be established so as to exert supervision and check over distribution
and utilization of the funds. The scientific and technological accounting
management system should be perfected and auditing work should be strengthened.

    32. Mechanisms of tax, price, credit and depreciation should be used to
lead to scientific and technological progress of trades and enterprises and to
promote development of scientific and technological undertakings.

    Business tax upon income from technical consultancy, transfer, service
and development should be exempted. But additional tax should be levied upon
products and technologies that run counter to state industrial policies or
scientific and technological policies or impede scientific and technological
progress.

    Investments in research and development institutions or enterprises for
research and development, test analysis and softwares, and commercialized
production of new products nominated by the state should be offered
preferential loans with discounted or low interest.

    Infrastructure of research and development institutions and productive
equipment for hi-tech products should be treated with a larger depreciation
rate than normal.

    33. Legal construction on science and technology should be facilitated.
Principles and policies in favour of scientific and technological progress
should be fixed through legislation so that scientific and technological
work could be led to a legal approach and brought under the protection and
supervision of law. Relevant legislation including the Law on Scientific and
Technological Progress should be formulated speedily. Legislation on
scientific and technological organizations, labour, reward and intellectual
property protection should be perfected. Attempts should be made for
establishing a relatively complete law frame by the year 2000.

    Awareness of laws on science and technology should be popularized.
Implementation, and supervision of implementation, of scientific and
technological legislation should be strengthened. Mediation agencies for
settlement of technical contract disputes and other institutions at different
levels for administration of scientific and technological justice should be
established. Institutions for research, consultancy and service in scientific
and technological legislation should also be established.

    34. Scientific, democratic and regularized decision-making should be
promoted. Science and technology as a comprehensive knowledge system and
thinking method can help us analyse at a macro-level complicated and
changeable economic and social phenomena and make differentiations, judgements
and rational decisions.

    Decision-making research and consultancy should be highly valued and
strengthened. A democratic and scientific decision-making procedure and
implementation procedure should be established and perfected. Decision over
a problem important to national economy and people's livelihood should be
based on soft-scientific study conducted in advance. Such practice should be
regularized. Leaders at different levels should value the work of
soft-scientific research and actively utilize its achievements to make correct
decisions.

    35. Talents resources should be tapped. The role of scientific and
technological personnel should be given free rein. Leaders at different
levels should be adept in finding talents, should unite talents and utilize
talents more freely. Scientific and technological personnel whoever has made
achievements in work should enjoy respect that he deserves. Different methods
should be tried to accelerate training of a new generation of scientific and
technological talents. Young people with both sciential and morale merits
should be promoted and used more boldly. Continuous education of scientific
and technological personnel should be attached much attention. Dispatch of
scientific and technological personnel abroad for further education should
be organized in an active and planned manner. The role of middle-aged and
young personnel as the backbone should be given full play. Retired personnel
should be given opportunity to continue service.

    Professional education of labour should be strengthened. People should be
encouraged to become talents through self-learning. Those talents that
come from workers and farmers should be given equal treatment as
correspondent professional talents.

    Ideological and political work of scientific and technological personnel
should be strengthened. They should be educated in patriotism and inspired
to withhold the "Four Basic Principles", observe conduct codes of scientific
and technological work. They should be encouraged to make strenuous efforts
and great contribution to the modernization of our country.

    Working conditions and living welfare of scientific and technological
personnel should be improved strenuously. Integrated with the reform in the
personnel system and distribution system, necessary efforts should be
adopted to substantially increase income of scientific and technological
personnel. Those personnel working in country, remote and border regions, or
working under the ground, in the open country or in dangerous environment
should be given preferential treatment.

    36. A stable and democratic and free environment should be created for
scientific and technological development. Difference in academic viewpoints
should be solved through scientific practice and discussions of the academic
community and should not be judged by administrative measures.

    The role of academic associations like the China Scientific and
Technological Association should be given full play. Different academic
associations, scientific and technological personnel should be encouraged to
participate in academic exchanges, decision-making analysis and consultancy
services.

    A socialized scientific and technical supporting system should be
established and perfected including scientific and technical equipment,
information, books, materials and publications.

    37. The whole society should strengthen support to scientific and
technological work. Party leaders and officials in different departments and
localities should improve understanding of scientific and technical work and
give close attention and great support to the work. Authorities should strive
to improve their scientific and technical quality, understand it as prime
importance to depend on science and technology for rejuvenation of China,
vitalization of locality and department, and play a leading role in advocating
scientific and technological development.

    All departments of planning, personnel, education, finance, banking,
taxation, foreign trade, propaganda, news, publication, culture and
entertainment should strengthen support to scientific and technical work
jointly contributing to scientific and technological development.

    38. The development of science and technology is a cause of the Chinese
nation for all generations to come and necessitates rousing up of the whole
nation and sustained efforts of coming generations. In history, the Chinese
nation, by their own intelligence and wisdom, created brilliant ancient
civilization, which is still shinning with immortal splendor. Today, under
the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and the guidance of the party's
basic line, depending on scientific and technical progress, we will surely
realize new leaps in social productivity and realize the great strategic
objectives of socialist modernization at the second and third stages.