Highlights

• China declares its basic research has entered a '0-to-1 breakthrough phase' in 2025, shifting from incremental advances to first-of-their-kind scientific achievements including thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion and the Zuchongzhi-3 quantum computing prototype.
• Basic research spending reached a historic 7.08% of total R&D investment, supported by over 70 large-scale national research facilities and a deliberate policy architecture embedding foundational science into five-year planning with enterprise participation.
• China is building a durable pipeline from basic science to applied technology across various sectors such as nuclear energy, quantum computing, advanced materials, aerospace, and biotechnology.
• Institutionalizing first-principles innovation as a pillar of long-term geopolitical competitiveness.

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China’s Ministry of Science and Technology and the China Rare Earth Industry Association report that China’s basic research ecosystem entered a decisive “0-to-1 breakthrough phase in 2025,” marking a shift from incremental advances to first-of-their-kind scientific results.  China is claiming it has moved from improving existing technologies to creating fundamentally new ones. The announcement highlights record funding levels, major scientific firsts, and expanding national research infrastructure—developments with long-term implications for global technology competition.

According to the report, basic research spending reached 7.08% of total R&D investment, the highest share in China’s history. This sustained funding push is now translating into measurable outcomes across nuclear energy, quantum computing, life sciences, space science, and particle physics—fields that underpin future industrial and defense capabilities.

Among the most consequential breakthroughs:

• The world’s first successful thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion in a molten salt reactor, demonstrating the technical feasibility of thorium-based nuclear power—an area closely watched by U.S. energy and national-security planners.
• The “Zuchongzhi-3” quantum computing prototype, which reportedly set a new global performance benchmark.
• New discoveries using China’s “Big Science Facilities,” including rare pulsar systems identified by the FAST radio telescope and record-precision neutrino measurements at the Jiangmen Neutrino Experiment.

China now operates or is building more than 70 large-scale national research facilities, placing it among the world’s leaders in scientific infrastructure. These platforms are accelerating original discoveries and allowing China to probe physical extremes—from deep space to subatomic particles—at scale.

Beyond the science, the article underscores a deliberate policy architecture. China’s leadership has embedded basic research into national five-year planning, reinforced long-term funding mechanisms, revised science-foundation rules to favor original research, and created incentives for enterprises to participate directly in foundational science. Regional governments, including Shanghai and Beijing, are now co-funding corporate-led basic research.

For audiences in the West, the significance is strategic rather than immediate. This signals that China is building a durable pipeline from basic science to applied technology, strengthening its position in next-generation energy systems, advanced materials (including rare earths), quantum technologies, aerospace, and biotechnology. While many outcomes remain years from commercialization, the systemic scale, funding stability, and coordination described here contrast sharply with more fragmented U.S. and European research models.

In short, China is not just catching up—it is institutionalizing first-principles innovation as a pillar of long-term industrial and geopolitical competitiveness.

Disclaimer: This news item originates from China Rare Earth Industry Association, publications associated with state-owned or state-aligned entities. The information presented should be independently verified before forming business, investment, or policy conclusions.