A high-profile policy meeting has revealed the key official players behind China’s science and technology drive, as the country pushes for more unified leadership in the sensitive sectors.
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The line-up includes finance and education ministry officials, academic chiefs, regional government heads and military officers, footage of the national science and technology work conference aired by state broadcaster CCTV showed.
Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang, who also heads the Central Science and Technology Commission, addressed the work conference on Monday, according to CCTV. It was the first such conference since the ruling Communist Party set up the commission less than two years ago.
Ding’s presence also made it a more high-profile event, as earlier editions had usually been chaired by the science minister, with the last one held in December 2022.
The vice-premier is a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the party’s centre of power. Monday’s meeting was also Ding’s first time chairing such a policy meeting on science in his new capacity as commission chief.
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Ding was revealed to be the head only in June, when he addressed leading scientists at a conference in Beijing.