Sylvia Schwaag Serger

Professor

China’s 15-year plan for scientific and technological development – a critical assessment

Author

Sylvia Schwaag-Serger

Summary, in English

The latest long-term plan for science and technology reflects China’s determination both to overcome growing domestic social and environmental problems through technology and to become a world leader in innovation. This latest fifteen-year plan presents no radical departure from earlier strategies and continues to define policymaking by Beijing’s strong belief that innovation can be “decreed” top-down or steered by the government. The plan relies heavily both on supply-side policies for research and education and on a technology-driven view of innovation, rather than tackling less tangible and more complex issues such as deficits in social capital, institution-building, and building an innovation-friendly environment. New features in the plan include a clear emphasis on energy, environment, and water resources. New targets in the plan to strengthen “independent” or “indigenous” innovation raise concerns abroad over the emergence of “techno-nationalism” and implications for China’s future economic openness.

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