The National Science and Technology Conference and the National Science and Technology Awards Conference were held in Beijing. Xi Jinping presented awards to the winners of the National Highest Science and Technology Award and delivered an important speech
The National Science and Technology Conference, the National Science and Technology Awards Conference, the 21st General Assembly of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the 17th General Assembly of the Chinese Academy of Engineering were held grandly in the Great Hall of the People on the morning of the 24th. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the conference, presented awards to the winners of the National Highest Science and Technology Award and delivered an important speech. He emphasized that the nation will prosper if science and technology prosper, and the country will be strong if science and technology are strong. Chinese-style modernization must be supported by the modernization of science and technology, and the realization of high-quality development must rely on scientific and technological innovation to cultivate new momentum. We must fully recognize the strategic leading position and fundamental supporting role of science and technology, anchor the strategic goal of building a strong country in science and technology by 2035, strengthen top-level design and overall planning, and accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance.
Li Qiang presided over the meeting, Ding Xuexiang read out the award decision, and Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi and Li Xi attended.
The meeting began at 10 a.m. The PLA Military Band played the March of the Volunteers, and the audience stood up and sang the national anthem.
Ding Xuexiang read out the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on the National Science and Technology Awards in 2023".
When the horn of the ceremony sounded, Xi Jinping first presented medals and certificates to Academician Li Deren of Wuhan University and Academician Xue Qikun of Tsinghua University who won the National Highest Science and Technology Award for 2023, and shook hands with them warmly to express congratulations. Afterwards, Xi Jinping and other party and state leaders, together with the two winners of the highest award, presented certificates to representatives who won the National Natural Science Award, the National Technological Invention Award, the National Science and Technology Progress Award, and the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the People's Republic of China.
Xi Jinping delivered an important speech amid warm applause. He pointed out that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has deeply promoted the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, put forward the strategic task of accelerating the construction of an innovative country, continuously deepened the reform of the science and technology system, and vigorously promoted the self-reliance and self-improvement of science and technology. my country has achieved new breakthroughs in basic frontier research, ushered in a new leap in the field of strategic high technology, achieved new results in high-quality development led by innovation-driven development, opened up a new situation in the reform of the science and technology system, made new progress in international opening-up and cooperation, and made historic achievements and historic changes in the science and technology cause.
Xi Jinping stressed that in the practice of the development of science and technology in the new era, we have continuously deepened our understanding of laws and accumulated many important experiences, mainly: adhering to the overall leadership of the Party, adhering to the path of independent innovation with Chinese characteristics, adhering to innovation-driven development, adhering to the strategic orientation of "four aspects", adhering to stimulating innovation vitality through deepening reform, adhering to promoting a virtuous cycle of education, science and technology talents, adhering to cultivating an innovative culture, and adhering to open cooperation in science and technology for the benefit of mankind. These experiences must be adhered to for a long time and continuously enriched and developed in practice.
Xi Jinping pointed out that the world is undergoing a major change that has not been seen in a century, and a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing in depth, profoundly reshaping the global order and development pattern. There are still some shortcomings and weaknesses in the development of my country's science and technology. We must further enhance the sense of urgency, further increase the intensity of scientific and technological innovation, and seize the commanding heights of scientific and technological competition and future development.
Xi Jinping stressed that we should give full play to the advantages of the new national system, improve the system of centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over scientific and technological work, and build a coordinated and efficient decision-making and command system and organizational implementation system. We should give full play to the decisive role of the market in the allocation of scientific and technological resources, better play the role of the government, mobilize the enthusiasm of all links of industry, academia and research, and form a working pattern to jointly promote the research of key core technologies. We should strengthen the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces, improve the degree of organization of basic research, encourage free exploration, and lay a solid foundation for scientific and technological innovation.
Xi Jinping pointed out that we should promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation to help develop new quality productivity. We should focus on key areas and weak links in the construction of a modern industrial system, increase the supply of high-quality science and technology, cultivate and develop emerging industries and future industries, and actively use new technologies to transform and upgrade traditional industries. We should strengthen the leading role of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation and promote the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements. We should do a good job in science and technology finance.
Xi Jinping stressed that we must comprehensively deepen the reform of the science and technology system and mechanism, coordinate the construction of various innovation platforms, and strengthen the optimal allocation of innovation resources. We must improve the regional science and technology innovation layout, improve the management of science and technology plans, and enhance the efficiency of science and technology innovation investment. We must speed up the establishment of a classification evaluation system and assessment mechanism that conforms to the laws of scientific research activities, improve the incentive system, and unleash the vitality of innovation.
Xi Jinping pointed out that we should deepen the reform of the system and mechanism of education, science and technology talents, improve the mechanism of collaborative education between science and education, and accelerate the cultivation of a large-scale, well-structured and high-quality innovative talent team. We should optimize the discipline settings of higher education institutions, innovate talent training models, and improve the level and quality of independent talent training. We should accelerate the construction of national strategic talent forces, and focus on cultivating outstanding engineers, great craftsmen, and highly skilled talents. We should strengthen the training of young scientific and technological talents, vigorously promote the spirit of scientists, and encourage the majority of scientific researchers to have lofty ambitions, patriotic dedication, and determination to innovate.
Xi Jinping stressed that we must deeply practice the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and achieve self-reliance and self-strengthening through open cooperation. We must deeply implement the international science and technology cooperation initiative, further broaden the channels for government and private exchanges and cooperation, give full play to the role of platforms such as the Belt and Road Initiative, and support scientific researchers from various countries in joint efforts to tackle key problems. We must actively integrate into the global innovation network, deeply participate in global science and technology governance, jointly respond to global challenges, and make science and technology better benefit mankind.
Xi Jinping expressed the hope that the academicians of the two academies will be good pioneers in the forefront of science and technology, undertake major tasks, guide the growth of young talents, and demonstrate the spirit of scientists, and make new contributions to the development of my country's science and technology. The vast number of scientific and technological workers should consciously integrate their academic pursuits into the great cause of building a strong country in science and technology, and create new achievements that are worthy of the times and the people. Party committees and governments at all levels should earnestly strengthen the organizational leadership of scientific and technological work and do their best to provide service guarantees.
Li Qiang pointed out when presiding over the conference that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech fully affirmed the historic achievements made in the development of scientific and technological innovation in my country in recent years, profoundly summarized the important experience of the development of science and technology in the new era, and brilliantly expounded the important role of scientific and technological innovation in promoting Chinese-style modernization and achieving the second centenary goal. It systematically explained the basic connotation and main tasks of accelerating the construction of a strong country in science and technology under the new situation, and pointed out the direction for doing a good job in science and technology in the new era. We must study and understand it in depth and implement it conscientiously. On the new journey, it is a glorious mission and a heavy responsibility to achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and build a strong country in science and technology. We must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, fully implement Xi Jinping's new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, further enhance the consciousness and determination to do a good job in science and technology, and unite and strive for the great cause of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization.
At the meeting, Li Deren and Xue Qikun made speeches on behalf of all the award winners.
Before the meeting, Xi Jinping and other leaders cordially met with representatives of the National Science and Technology Award winners and took photos with them.
Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, secretaries of the Central Secretariat, relevant leaders of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, State Councilors, the President of the Supreme People's Court, the Procurator-General of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and relevant leaders of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference attended the conference.
About 3,000 people, including major responsible persons from all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities with independent planning status, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, relevant departments of the Central and State organs, relevant people's organizations, relevant military units, academicians of the two academies, some foreign academicians, and winners of the National Science and Technology Awards, attended the conference.
A total of 250 projects and 12 scientific and technological experts were selected for the National Science and Technology Awards in 2023. Among them, 2 people were awarded the National Highest Science and Technology Award; 49 National Natural Science Awards, including 1 first prize and 48 second prizes; 62 National Technological Invention Awards, including 8 first prizes and 54 second prizes; 139 National Science and Technology Progress Awards, including 3 special prizes, 16 first prizes and 120 second prizes; and 10 foreign experts were awarded the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award of the People's Republic of China.
