On March 5, 2025, Premier Li Qiang delivered the 2025 government work report on behalf of the State Council at the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress. The work report set up economic and development tasks for 2025 providing insights on how China plans to achieve its economic goals. Excerpts relating to science, technology, and intellectual property follow. More insight into intellectual property goals for 2025 will presumably follow in the Supreme People’s Court’s work report scheduled for March 8, 2025.

The first part of the report, the 2024 work report, mentioned:

We will vigorously promote innovation-driven development and promote the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure. We will advance the construction of a strong country in science and technology , fully launch and implement major national science and technology projects , accelerate the improvement of major science and technology infrastructure systems , and strengthen the training of top innovative talents .

Part II, the overall requirements and policy orientations for economic and social development in 2025, mentions:

Promote the integrated development of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation .

Part III of the 2025 government work tasks mentioned:

We will develop new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system. We will promote the integrated development of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation , vigorously promote new industrialization, expand and strengthen advanced manufacturing, actively develop modern service industries, and promote the accumulation of new momentum and the renewal and upgrading of traditional momentum.

Cultivate and expand emerging industries and future industries. Deepen the integrated cluster development of strategic emerging industries. Carry out large-scale application demonstration actions for new technologies, new products and new scenarios, and promote the safe and healthy development of emerging industries such as commercial aerospace and low-altitude economy. Establish a mechanism for the growth of investment in future industries, and cultivate future industries such as biomanufacturing, quantum technology, artificial intelligence, and 6G . Deepen the pilot program for the integrated development of advanced manufacturing and modern service industries, and accelerate the development of service-oriented manufacturing. Strengthen the overall layout of industries and capacity monitoring and early warning, and promote the orderly development of industries and healthy competition. Accelerate the innovative development of national high-tech zones. Gradual cultivation of innovative enterprises , promote the development and growth of specialized, refined and new small and medium-sized enterprises, support the development of unicorn enterprises and gazelle enterprises , and allow more enterprises to accelerate in new fields and new tracks.

Stimulate the innovative vitality of the digital economy. Continue to promote the “artificial intelligence +” action , better combine digital technology with manufacturing advantages and market advantages, support the widespread application of large models, and vigorously develop a new generation of intelligent terminals such as intelligent networked new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence mobile phones and computers, and intelligent robots, as well as intelligent manufacturing equipment. Expand the large-scale application of 5G, accelerate the innovative development of the industrial Internet, optimize the national computing power resource layout, and create a digital industry cluster with international competitiveness. Accelerate the improvement of the basic data system , deepen the development and utilization of data resources, and promote and standardize the cross-border flow of data. Promote the standardized and healthy development of the platform economy , and better play its positive role in promoting innovation, expanding consumption, and stabilizing employment.

We will implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, and improve the overall efficiency of the national innovation system. We will insist on innovation-driven development, promote education development, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation in an integrated manner, and build a solid foundation and strategic support for China’s modernization.

Promote high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement. Give full play to the advantages of the new national system , strengthen key core technology research and development and cutting-edge and disruptive technology research and development, and accelerate the organization and implementation of major scientific and technological projects . Optimize the layout of national strategic scientific and technological forces, promote the reform of scientific research institutes, explore new scientific research organization models of national laboratories, and enhance the radiation and driving capacity of international and regional scientific and technological innovation centers. Promote the tilt of scientific and technological expenditure towards basic research, improve the investment mechanism that combines competitive support with stable support, and improve the degree of organization of basic research. Give full play to the leading role of science and technology leading enterprises, strengthen the deep integration of industry, academia and research led by enterprises, and institutionally guarantee that enterprises participate in national scientific and technological innovation decision-making and undertake major scientific and technological projects. Improve the allocation and management and use mechanism of central fiscal science and technology funds. Improve the support policies and market services for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, promote the reform of empowerment of official scientific and technological achievements and separate asset management , and improve the efficiency of scientific and technological achievements transformation. Strengthen the protection and application of intellectual property rights. Accelerate the construction of concept verification, pilot verification and industry common technology platforms. Improve the differentiated supervision system of venture capital funds, strengthen policy-based financial support, accelerate the development of venture capital, and strengthen patient capital. Expand scientific and technological openness and cooperation. Strengthen science popularization work and improve citizens’ scientific literacy. Carry forward the spirit of scientists and promote the formation of an innovative environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure.

The full text is available here (Chinese only).