Key and core technologies are vital to the country and are of great significance to promoting high-quality economic development and safeguarding national security. At the 20th General Conference of Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the 15th General Conference of Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the 10th National Congress of China Association for Science and Technology, President Xi Jinping stressed the need to strengthen originality and pioneering research in science and technology and resolutely win the battle in key and core technologies.

The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and scientific and technological innovation is one of the key variables. In order to foster opportunities in the crisis and open up new situations in the changing situation, we must seek answers from scientific and technological innovation. At present, it has become a key issue to build a new development pattern to enhance the ability of independent innovation and make breakthroughs in key core technologies as soon as possible. At the same time, in the face of fierce international competition and rising unilateralism and protectionism, we must blaze a path of innovation suited to China's national conditions. In particular, we need to give greater prominence to the improvement of our original innovation capacity and strive to achieve more breakthroughs from zero to one. Practice has taught us time and again that key and core technologies cannot be acquired, bought or negotiated. Only by keeping key and core technologies in our own hands can we fundamentally guarantee China's economic security, national defense security and other security, and provide strong scientific and technological support for China's development.

Basic research is the source of scientific and technological innovation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that "strengthening basic research is a necessary requirement for self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology. It is a necessary choice for us to move from the unknown to the known and from the uncertain to the certain. The root cause of many of the technical problems China is facing is that basic theoretical research has not kept pace, and the source and underlying issues have not been clarified. Facing the future, basic research should have the courage to explore, highlight originality, expand the boundary of understanding nature, and open up new cognitive frontiers; More importantly, we need to use traction to break the bottleneck, summarize the scientific problems from the practical problems facing economic and social development and national security, and understand the basic theories and technical principles of the "bottleneck" technology. At the same time, we will increase government spending on basic research, optimize the structure of spending, and form a sustained and stable investment mechanism. By focusing on the frontiers of science and technology in the world, grasping the general trend, playing "first hand chess", laying a solid foundation and long-term reserves, and being willing to sit on the bench and be tree planters and well diggers, the vast majority of scientists and technicians will surely make major breakthroughs in forward-looking basic research and pioneering original achievements, and lay a solid foundation for building a world power in science and technology.

At present, China is faced with many practical problems that need to be solved in economic and social development, improvement of people's livelihood, and national defense development. This requires that scientific and technological research must remain problem-oriented and focus on the most urgent and pressing problems. For example, based on the country's urgent and long-term needs, we will make all-out efforts to develop key core technologies in oil and gas, basic raw materials, and high-end chips, and accelerate breakthroughs in a number of key core technologies in pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other fields. For another example, in the basic and core areas that have a bearing on overall development and national security, we will deploy a number of strategic and reserve technology research and development projects in such cutting-edge areas as artificial intelligence, quantum information and integrated circuits, aiming at the commanding heights of future science and technology and industrial development. This also sets clear requirements for optimizing government investment in science and technology, and we must focus on strategic and key areas.

Scientific and technological achievements should not only meet the needs of the country, the people and the market, but also make a three-step leap from scientific research, experimental development and application. Only in this way can we truly realize the value of innovation and achieve innovation-driven development. It should be recognized that the key to the integration of innovation chain and industrial chain is to establish the dominant position of enterprises in innovation. To do this, we need to increase the driving force for innovation of enterprises, give full play to the role of enterprises as makers of tests, accelerate the building of innovation confederations led by leading enterprises, supported by universities and institutions, and coordinated innovation entities, and make the transfer and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements more effective. It should also be recognized that modern engineering and technological science is an indispensable bridge between scientific principles, industrial development and engineering research and development, and plays a key role in the modern scientific and technological system. We must vigorously strengthen research in modern engineering and technology that integrates multiple disciplines, promote the development of basic science and engineering technology, and form a complete system of modern science and technology.

The situation is pressing, the challenge is pressing, and the mission is pressing. On the new journey, we will boldly take a path untrodden by our predecessors, have the courage to overcome difficulties, pursue excellence, and win victories. We will seize the commanding heights of scientific and technological competition and future development, and strive to make key and core technologies independent and under control. We will firmly hold the initiative for innovation and development in our own hands.

Source: State-owned Assets and Administration Commission of the State Council