The U.S. media reported that Beijing‘s draft outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national economic development in the next five years proposes to expand artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other seven areas of technology related to national security, a move that implies competition with the United States, and even a duel for national security.
China’s National People’s Congress and National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) “two sessions” recently opened in Beijing. The Wall Street Journal reported today that, according to the National People’s Congress, the outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Vision 2035, the official proposal is to grow domestic R&D spending by more than 7 percent per year over the next five years. This will be a higher share of gross domestic product (GDP) than in the previous five years.
The outline also lists seven strategic areas considered critical to “national security and overall development,” including: artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, integrated circuits, genetic technology, biotechnology, neuroscience, and aerospace (space).
According to the draft, China plans to establish national laboratories and strengthen academic programs to incubate and support some of these technologies. In addition, vaccines, deep-sea exploration and voice recognition are listed as development targets.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also mentioned during the opening of the National People’s Congress on May 5 that China will revise regulations and policies to support the flow of venture capital into startups, increase bank loans and expand tax incentives to encourage R&D; among other things, central government spending on basic research will grow by 10.6% this year and a 10-year action plan will be formulated.
The Wall Street Journal analyzed that China’s government plans and policy guidelines propose to increase basic research efforts, with the implication of competition with the United States; in fact, the field of scientific research is regarded as the key to technological progress, but China has traditionally lagged behind the United States in this area.
In fact, scientific research is seen as the key to technological progress, but China has traditionally lagged behind the United States in this area.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) earlier proposed drafting a bill based on an earlier proposal to respond to China’s rise in the technology sector.
The proposal calls for spending $100 billion over five years on basic research in areas such as artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing to ensure the United States does not fall behind China.
China’s technological power has grown, with a report this month from Stanford University saying it recently surpassed the United States in citations to AI-related journals, the newspaper said.
By the end of last year, China could have 690,000 5G base stations in operation nationwide, compared with 50,000 in the United States, according to research firm International Business Strategies Inc. and China’s latest 5-year plan sets the goal of increasing the proportion of 5G users to more than 50 percent and laying the groundwork for 6G networks .
However, the Wall Street Journal said there are still many challenges for China to catch up with the U.S. in research and development, such as being “outmatched” in basic research and R&D funding.
Citing Ministry of Science and Technology official Ye Yujiang, the Communist Party’s People’s Daily reported in February that China will spend 150 billion yuan (NT$650 billion) on basic research in 2020.
By comparison, a report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2020 noted that the U.S. spent $97 billion (NT$2.74 trillion) on basic research in 2018, accounting for about 17 percent of total U.S. R&D spending.
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