R&D in the People's Republic of China

Since her founding in 1949, China has gone a long way in formulating her own R&D structure and policy. There are successful stories and painful lessons as well. In this paper the author intends to examine the evolution of the Chinese R&D structure and policy; the pros and cons with this structure and policy. And finally how China is at present reforming the structure and policy, and why she is doing so.
Structure and policy are two of the key factors that affect the effectiveness of R&D. With appropriate structure and policy, R&D will not only advance the state of art of science and technology, but also contribute a great deal to the progress of the society and the prosperity of the nation's economy. Therefore, the main theme of the paper will be concentrated on how China could reform her R&D structure and policy so that R&D can play a bigger role in building up China's economy and modernization.