China's annual sci-tech work conference was held via video on December 30, 2022. (PHOTO: MOST)

Looking back the last decade, China has made major progress in its sci-tech journey.

According to China's annual sci-tech work conference, held via video on December 30, 2022, the country's investment in R&D soared from one trillion RMB in 2012 to 2.8 trillion RMB in 2021. Meanwhile, spending intensity rose from 1.91 percent to 2.44 percent, and China's rank on the Global Innovation Index list also rocketed from 34th place in 2012 to 11th in 2022.

The conference confirmed that promoting high-quality development will be the top priority for the year 2023, and required all sci-tech workers to focus on the following aspects:

●Studying, publicizing and implementing the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, and working on the comprehensive studying, understanding and implementation of the spirit.

●Reinforcing national strategic sci-tech strength, while taking into account the national strategic demand and long-term development.

●Improving a new system for mobilizing resources nationwide to achieve breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields.

●Accelerating the implementation of national major sci-tech projects and fostering new economic growth points.

●Strengthening basic research with perseverance and in-advance deployment of key areas.

●Implementing sci-tech policies focusing on self-reliance and self-strengthening, and deepening reform of the sci-tech management system.

●Coordinating and promoting the establishment of the international sci-tech innovation center and regional sci-tech innovation centers, and creating an ecology for innovation and business starting at a leading international level.

●Boosting the principal role of enterprises in sci -tech innovation, and guiding enterprises to cultivate sci-tech innovation capabilities and competitiveness by making full use of the market.

●Improving the strategic distribution of human resources, and creating a workforce with highly skilled sci -tech personnel.

●Extending international sci-tech exchange and cooperation, and forming an innovative and open ecology with global competitiveness.

Work should be done to lay a solid foundation for China to join the ranks of the world's most innovative countries, and become a leading country in science and technology, the conference noted.