Xi Presents Science Awards; China in Innovation Top 10

President Xi Jinping presented the 2025 National Highest Science and Technology Awards at a grand ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday, honoring lithium battery pioneer Chen Liquan and radar technology pioneer Ben De with China’s most prestigious scientific honor. The ceremony, held alongside the conferences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), also marked China’s historic entry into the top 10 of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index (GII) for the first time, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The Awards Ceremony

The 2025 cycle awarded 258 projects and 11 science and technology experts across all categories. The National Highest Science and Technology Award, China’s top science honor typically conferred on one to two individuals annually, was awarded to Chen Liquan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and researcher at the Institute of Physics, CAS, and Ben De, also an academician of CAE and researcher at China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), as reported by Xinhua.

According to CCTV News, the full breakdown includes 51 National Natural Science Awards (three first prizes, 48 second prizes), 58 National Technology Invention Awards (three first prizes, 55 second prizes), and 149 National Science and Technology Progress Awards (three special prizes, 13 first prizes, 133 second prizes). Nine foreign scientists received the International Science and Technology Cooperation Award.

Pioneering Laureates

Chen Liquan, born in 1940, is widely regarded as the founder of China’s solid-state ionics research. He developed China’s first lithium battery, established the first pilot production line, and broke through key intellectual property barriers for materials such as lithium iron phosphate and lithium cobalt oxide. His recent work on “in-situ solidification” battery technology and sodium battery advancement has positioned China at the forefront of next-generation energy storage.

Ben De, born in 1938, is a pioneer of China’s airborne pulse Doppler radar technology and a main pioneer of phased array radar technology. He developed China’s first airborne pulse Doppler fire control radar and the first large-scale long-range phased array early warning radar. His breakthroughs have led to thousands of backbone radars deployed across land, sea, air, and space, contributing significantly to national defense capabilities.

Historic Natural Science First Prizes

For the first time since the Regulations on National Science and Technology Awards were promulgated in 1999, three National Natural Science first prizes were awarded in a single cycle, as China News Service reported. The winning projects include “Single-Atom Catalysis” in chemistry — an original concept proposed by Chinese researchers — “Full Quantum Effect Study of Water’s Hydrogen Bond Strength and Dynamics” in physics, and “V-Defect Three-Dimensional PN Junction and Applications” in information technology, which pioneered phosphor-free pure-chip LED lighting and developed the first yellow-light AR glasses.

A National Science and Technology Awards Office official stated that the three first prizes “reflect the effective implementation of China’s strategic deployment to strengthen basic research and focus on original innovation.”

Shanghai’s Record Performance

Shanghai achieved a record number of awards, with 68 projects led or co-completed by institutions in the city, accounting for 25 percent of the national total. This marks the 21st consecutive year that Shanghai has exceeded 10 percent of national awards. Twenty-nine projects led by Shanghai institutions won awards, a record high, according to The Paper.

Global Innovation Milestone

Separately, the ceremony highlighted China’s milestone entry into the top 10 of WIPO’s Global Innovation Index for the first time, ranking 10th globally. According to the China National Intellectual Property Administration, China has risen 25 places since 2013 and ranks first among 36 upper-middle-income economies. The country now hosts 24 of the world’s top 100 innovation clusters, more than any other nation, with the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranked as the world’s top innovation cluster.

Marco Aleman, Assistant Director General of WIPO, said the ranking “highlights China’s prominent position as a global innovation leader.”

Strategic Implications

The awards and GII milestone come amid intensifying US-China technology competition, with both nations investing heavily in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and clean energy. China’s lithium battery dominance — built on Chen Liquan’s foundational work — represents a key strategic asset in the global energy transition, while Ben De’s radar advances have direct implications for China’s military modernization.

What’s Next

China has set its sights on becoming a global science and technology powerhouse by 2035, with increased investment in basic research, semiconductor technology, AI, and new energy. The 2025 awards cycle, with its historic three Natural Science first prizes, signals that China’s long-term strategy of innovation-driven development is yielding tangible results — even as questions remain about how the international community will respond to its rising innovation metrics.