Xi Jinping Sets 2035 Deadline for China to Become a Global Science and Technology Leader

Chinese President Xi Jinping has set an ambitious target for his country: becoming a global leader in science and technology by the year 2035. Speaking at a major gathering of the country's top scientific and engineering institutions, Xi called on researchers and engineers to move faster toward building strong, independent capabilities in technology, rather than relying on other nations.

Xi described the next five years, from 2026 to 2030, as a crucial window for China to solve difficult scientific and technological problems. He framed this period as part of a broader plan for what Chinese leadership calls national modernisation, where advances in science and technology are seen as key drivers of the country's overall development and global standing.

During the same event, Xi handed out China's top science and technology award for 2025. The honour went to two prominent researchers: one credited as the founder of China's lithium battery industry, and another recognised as a leading expert in radar technology. These awards highlight the areas China considers central to its technological rise.

This push comes after years of significant progress by China in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and battery manufacturing. The country has benefited from heavy government funding, a vast domestic consumer market, strong factory and production capabilities, and a large workforce of trained engineers.

In artificial intelligence specifically, China has declared it a top national priority, pouring resources into research, computing power, chip development, and skill-building programs, with the goal of becoming the world's foremost hub for AI innovation.

China has also become the world's biggest maker and exporter of electric vehicles, with its EV sector growing rapidly over the last ten years. This growth reflects a broader shift the country is attempting: moving from being known mainly as a manufacturing base to becoming a genuine source of technological innovation.

However, this ambition faces real obstacles. China is competing against established technology powers including the United States, the European Union, South Korea, and Japan. Adding to the pressure, the United States has placed restrictions on the export of advanced AI chips to China, limiting its access to some of the most powerful computing hardware needed for AI development.

Xi's speech signals that despite these challenges, Beijing intends to double down on state-backed innovation as its strategy for the coming decade, treating scientific self-sufficiency as central to the country's future growth and security.