China to boost support for basic research over next five years: minister

China will invest more in basic research during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, with such funding expected to reach over 8 percent of all research and development (R&D) expenditure, said Wang Zhigang, minister of science and technology.

China will also formulate a 10-year action plan for basic research, Wang said on the sidelines of the annual national legislative session.

The central government's funding for basic research doubled over the past five years, and the funding for basic research is estimated at 6.16 percent of its total R&D expenditure in 2020, Wang said.

China has established 13 applied mathematics centers and plans to build several research centers and platforms for basic disciplines. The country has made achievements in the fields of iron-based superconductivity, stem cells, quantum information and brain-like chips, Wang added.