Make science and technology count

What President Xi Jinping said in his recent visit to Chinese Academy of Sciences bears important meanings for not only Chinese sciences but also the country's development in the future, said an article in the 21st Century Business Herald (excerpts below).

President Xi said, China should eliminate the institutional obstacles for science and technology innovations and the government should make it easier to transform the fruits of science research into economic growth. Chinese government should also make preferential policies to promote research and improve the assessment for science and technology research.

Although China has made great progress in science and technology, it is still catching up with developed countries. It is easy to make progress by learning.

China will encounter more challenges and difficulties in the stage of self-innovation after it shortens the distance from the advanced countries.

Xi's suggestion is pertinent to the main difficulties for scientists and engineers.

To fulfill his wish, the government has a lot of work to do. Chinese schools should end the exam-oriented education model and encourage students to explore their innovative talents. The researchers need to pay more attention to fundamental research.

Some academic journals have become hotbeds for academic corruption because only when the researchers published a certain number of theses on selected journals, can they be promoted from lecturers to associate professors, and to full professors.

Scientific research funds must be distributed according to the values of the searches but not based on personal connections with the officials in charge of the distribution of various levels.