The founding of China’s new top science and technology planner – a Communist Party body at the core of Beijing’s technology competition with Washington – went quietly.
It remains a mystery who headed or attended the meeting, and no details have been revealed about when or where it took place or what was discussed. Beijing later walked those goals back to try to conform to international norms on industrial policy, though few people believe the policy itself ceased to exist.
The plan, which covers the period through 2035, also vowed to deepen reform in science and tech management and improve governance.A MORE POWERFUL PLANNER In one of the few public remarks on the group, executive vice-premier Ding Xuexiang, who ranks sixth on the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, called for “enhanced party leadership” in the sector and a better system for “concentrating effort and resources on key national undertakings” at a national legislative meeting.
A source familiar with science policymaking said the new commission would probably even oversee the tech branch of the military, or the Science and Technology Commission under the powerful Central Military Commission. “Members of the commission are supposed to be loyal technocrats with high prestige. The revelation of key personnel could shed light on the direction or development of China’s innovation initiatives,” he said.
Source: Tech Daily Report (techdailyreport.net)