China has built the world's largest education system after years of unremitting efforts, Minister Yin Hejun of Science and Technology said at a press conference on Tuesday.

China has the most complete range of disciplines in its talent resources and the world's largest R&D talent pool, providing strong talent support for the continuous rise of its scientific and technological strength, Yin added.

In recent years, the Ministry of Science and Technology has strengthened coordination with departments in charge of education and talent work, among others, enhanced planning alignment, policy coordination and resource pooling, and jointly advanced the integrated development of education, science and technology and talent, according to Yin.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), China's National Key R&D Program supported more than 700,000 person-times, while the National Natural Science Foundation of China supported more than 500,000 person-times, while frontline R&D personnel in research institutes, universities and enterprises are expected to exceed 8 million person-times, effectively supporting scientific and technological innovation in various fields and industries.

Next, China will work to support high-quality development through measures including deepening integrated institutional reform, strengthening sci-tech talent supply-demand forecasting, optimizing academic disciplines and majors, and facilitating talent mobility.

(Cover image via VCG)