Vice-Premier Stresses Promotion of Science

Vice-Premier visits Science Show

Vice-Premier Li Lanqing says China should promote the interest of younger generations in science and innovation.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited an exhibition, "Door to Science: Learning Development of Sciences Through the Nobel Prize" on last Friday (June 2). The exhibition ends June 5.

He said Chinese should learn the history of science and spread scientific knowledge.

Li added China should push for breakthroughs in scientific research.

He urged the Chinese Academy of Sciences and universities to strengthen basic scientific research. The China National Natural Science Foundation should focus on sponsoring such research, he added.

He also urged government departments to encourage scientists to concentrate and excel in basic scientific research.

In another development, the first two groups of books in a popular science series written by academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) was published recently.

In his preface for the series, President Jiang Zemin wrote that publishing high-quality popular science books is vital for promoting science and education in the country, and will help improve the nation's grasp on science.