Highlights

• China inducted 195 new academicians into CAS and CAE to serve national strategic needs and advance technological self-reliance in AI, quantum, and advanced materials.
• Quantum physicist Peng Chengzhi and rare earth expert Li Jun pledged to align research with China's urgent priorities, emphasizing rare earth processing dominance and industrial application.
• The selection signals China's whole-of-nation approach to compete globally in quantum computing, semiconductors, and critical minerals supply chains.

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China inducted 195 new academicians into its two most influential scientific bodies—the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE)—with a clear public message: scientific research must directly serve national strategic needs and accelerate China’s technological self-reliance.

At a ceremony in Beijing, CAS President Hou Jianguo told new members that the title is “a mission, not just an honor,” and urged them to help China achieve high-level independence in science and technology—language that aligns with Beijing’s push to reduce dependence on Western tech and strengthen its domestic innovation ecosystem.

CAE President Li Xiaohong emphasized that this year’s selection prioritized scientists who support China’s strategic goals, especially the development of what Beijing calls “new quality productive forces”—the country’s umbrella term for advanced sectors such as AI, quantum, new energy, advanced materials, and next-generation manufacturing.

One of the more notable voices was Peng Chengzhi, a CAS academician specializing in quantum physics and quantum information. He framed the appointment as “a national trust,” promising to align his research with China’s most urgent strategic needs—an important signal as China races the U.S. and EU for leadership in quantum computing, secure communication, and advanced sensing.

But the strongest geopolitical signal came from Li Jun, a CAS academician and chemistry professor at Tsinghua University. He described rare earth elements as the “vitamins of industry”, essential to renewable energy, aerospace, and semiconductor sectors. Li called for turning China’s rare earth resource advantage into “industrial technological prowess,” urging theoretical scientists to solve real industrial bottlenecks. This mirrors Beijing’s long-running strategy: not just mining rare earths, but dominating the value-added steps—processing, alloys, magnets, and applications that anchor global supply chains.

Hu Hailan, a leading neuroscientist at Zhejiang University, highlighted the human-centric mission of life sciences, while industry technologist Huang Xianbo (Kingfa) stressed the need to commercialize scientific breakthroughs more quickly—an area where China aims to close the gap with the U.S. and Europe.

In total, CAS and CAE added 144 new Chinese members and 51 international members, a significant expansion of China’s elite scientific corps. For Western observers, this cohort’s explicit alignment with national strategic priorities reinforces China’s whole-of-nation approach to competing in quantum, semiconductors, advanced materials, and rare earth applications.

Disclaimer

This news item is translated from Chinese state-owned media (China Daily (opens in a new tab)). All information should be independently verified.

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