Opinion

Basic research depends on long-term and stable support

The recently held meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee emphasized strengthening long-term and stable support for basic research. This decision reflects a profound understanding of the long-term nature, difficulty, and exploratory character of basic research. Advancing basic research cannot be rushed. We should maintain strategic focus and historical patience and safeguard basic research through long-term and stable support and consolidate the foundation for building a strong nation in science and technology.

China will gradually increase the share of basic research funding. To this end, it should further optimize the structure of fiscal expenditure on science and technology, and increase fiscal input on strategic and critical areas. On the tax front, incentive policies such as additional deductions for R&D expenses and preferential corporate income tax rates can be fully utilized to enhance enterprises' motivation to increase investment in basic research. It is necessary to encourage private forces to invest through multiple channels, such as donations and the establishment of funds, and accelerate the formation of a diversified investment pattern involving government, enterprises, and private forces.

China will make systematic plans for the construction and layout of major scientific and technological infrastructure. Major scientific and technological infrastructure provides important platforms for breakthroughs at the frontiers of China's basic research. Toward this goal, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a complete, technologically advanced, and efficiently operating system of major scientific and technological infrastructure, promote its transformation from scale expansion to quality improvement, and truly give full play to its strategic effectiveness.

China will improve a category-based evaluation system that conforms to the characteristics of basic research. In pursuit of this objective, the burden on researchers should be substantially reduced, with the evaluation focusing on the originality, scientific value, and long-term impact of basic research. Benefit guarantees for research personnel should be strengthened so that they can devote themselves wholeheartedly to long-cycle research. Support for young scientific and technological talents will continue to be strengthened, granting them greater autonomy in research. It is also essential to foster an atmosphere that tolerates failure and encourages exploration, strengthen international exchanges and cooperation, and enable more Chinese scientists to take center stage in the global scientific and technological arena.

Policy

1. The National Healthcare Security Administration has officially issued the project-based pricing guidelines for laboratory medical service items (Trial), filling an important gap in the unified and standardized national medical service pricing system. The nationally unified medical service pricing system has now basically taken shape.

2. China is advancing pilot projects for international cooperation in the data field. The first batch of pilot sites has been selected in 10 locations: Shanghai; Hainan; Fuzhou, Xiamen, and Quanzhou in Fujian; Changsha in Hunan; Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Guangdong; and Nanning in Guangxi. The pilot work will be carried out in six aspects, including data infrastructure, data standards and protocols, and cross-border service ecosystems, according to the National Data Administration.

Data

1. Inner Mongolia's land ports have already handled over 100 million tons of cross‑border freight this year as of August 14, a month earlier than last year, securing the region's top spot in the country in terms of freight volume, according to the local port authority.

2. Demand for food cold‑chain logistics in China rose 4.7 percent year on year to 200 million tons in the first half, while the total revenue of food cold‑chain logistics service enterprises climbed 3.7 percent year on year to RMB 290.18 billion, according to the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing.

3. China's average daily raw coal production by industrial enterprises above the designated size hit 13.07 million tons in the January-June period - the second‑highest for the first half of the year on record - underscoring coal's continued role as a stabilizer of the energy mix, industry data from the China National Coal Association showed.

4. Departure tax refund applications at Beijing's two airports skyrocketed 516 percent year on year to over 130,000 in the first seven months, with the value of goods for refund topping RMB 1 billion, an increase of 45 percent, and the actual refund amount hitting RMB 131 million, an increase of 50.21 percent, according to Beijing Customs.

5. Shanghai's ship exports jumped 64.1 percent year on year to RMB 40.09 billion from January to July, according to Shanghai Customs. High‑end vessels, mainly liquid cargo ships and large container ships, accounted for 83.9 percent of the total.

6. China's railway sector channeled RMB 440.6 billion into fixed‑asset investment in the first seven months, a 1.8-percent increase from the same period last year, according to China State Railway Group.

7. Since the latest phase of the "Three‑North" Shelterbelt Forest Program was launched three years ago, China's ecological restoration efforts have averaged over 80 million mu (about 5.33 million hectares) annually, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration said.

8. The cumulative cargo transport volume of the China‑Laos Railway has exceeded 90 million tonnes to date, and a total of more than 80,000 freight trains have operated on this route, according to China Railway Kunming Group.

9. The Export-Import Bank of China extended nearly RMB 500 billion in manufacturing loans in the January‑July period, of which close to RMB 200 billion, or 40 percent, went to advanced manufacturing.

10. China delivered a domestically developed 99,000‑cubic‑meter VLEC (Very Large Ethane‑Ethylene Carrier) on August 18, with its comprehensive technical indicators reaching internationally advanced levels.

(Source: Economic Daily)