Fifteen years ago in the twelfth five years plan, the Chinese government reconfirmed their commitment to the country’s development in the scientific and technology areas. Now, China has become the top two most advanced nations, if not the top one, in most science and technology areas. For example, it is the top nation with highly cited papers within the top 1% of scientific publications. It has the largest population of university graduates and researchers. The country has received the most patents awarded according to WIPO since 2013. It had the most number of supercomputers in the top 500 up to 2022 (until China declined to participate in the survey because of unjust US imposed sanctions on its supercomputer vendors). China competes with the US on AI development, Quantum Computing, and space exploration. Its achievement in academic and development fields are also extended to industrial prowess. China leads the world in 5G and Quantum Communication, green energy, EV and battery productions, and robotics. The country has not reached its peak yet. It still has a big future to come.
The country has many scientific and technological facilities. They cover the areas from Astronomy to high energy particles research, to aeronautical research, to oceanography, to fusion research, to quantum communication, and to polar research. The top facilities include but not limited to the following:
- 500M Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) in Guizhou – Largest radio telescope in the world.
- Shenguang High Power Experimental Laser in Shanghai – Use for laser research.
- Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment in Guangdong – Research on Neutrino.
- Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Wind Tunnel in Jiangsu – Use for aeronautical studies.
- Centimetre-Decimetre Wave Radioheliograph in Inner Mongolia – Use for solar research.
- Explorer1 Marine Scientific Research Vessel based in Hainan – Research on oceanography.
- Superconducting Tokamak Nuclear Fusion Reactor (EAST) in Anhui – Research on fusion reaction.
- Jiaolong Deep Sea Submersible based in Shandong – Use for deep sea research.
- Large-area multi-object fiber spectral telescope (LAMOST) in Hebei – Research on Astronomy.
- Heavy Particle Accelerator in Gansu – Research on particle physics.
- Spallation Neutron Source in Guangdong – To study materials and biological systems using neutrons.
- Quantum Communication Key Distribution Center in Anhui – To maintain and study quantum communication in quantum networks.
- Electron Positron Collider in Beijing – Research on particle physics.
- Xuelong1 Polar Research icebreaker based in Shanghai – Use for polar research.
- Xuelong2 Polar Research icebreaker based in Shandong – Use for polar research.
