Scientific and technical personnel developed steadily. By the end of 2000, China had 29.26 million professionals and technicians of all specialization working in state-owned enterprises and institutions, an increase of 0.75 percent over the figure at the end of 1999. A total of 2.81 million people were engaged in scientific and technological activities including 1.56 million scientists and engineers.

New progress was achieved in technical innovation. In 2000, the state organized 280 technical innovation projects and 1,329 key pilot production projects of new products. Another 101 key projects concerning the development and approval of major technical equipment were conducted. Cooperation between enterprises and universities and scientific research institutions was further strengthened. In 2000, some 4.6 million people from 400,000 enterprises and institutions participated in 140,000 projects characterized by such type of cooperation.

Scientific and technological undertakings made new achievements. In 2000, China gained 30,260 key scientific results, including 2,420 results in the field of basic theories, 26,020 results in applied technologies and 820 results for soft science. About 300 results received prizes from the state. A total of 170,690 applications for patent were received from domestic and overseas applicants, while 105,344 patents were authorized, up 27.2 percent and 5.2 percent respectively. Markets for the transfer of technology became more brisk. In 2000, a total of 265,000 contracts on the transfer of technology were signed, involving a transaction value of 63.0 billion yuan, up by 20 percent over the previous year.

New headway was scored in space technology. The year 2000 saw the successful launching of 6 satellites.

Further improvement was made in technical services such as quality inspection, standardization, metrology and weather forecast. By the end of 2000, there were altogether 5,500 institutions in China that were responsible for the inspection and supervision of the quality of manufactured products, including 230 state inspection centers. Surveys were conducted by authorized institutions to check the quality of 9,705 kinds of products of 235 categories from 8,142 enterprises. There were 59 quality authentication institutions, of which 23 were product authentication institutions, which provided product authentication service to 13,194 enterprises throughout the nation. There were altogether 4,505 authorized measurement inspection institutions, which enforced compulsory inspection on 40.69 million measuring instruments. A total of 1,087 national standards of various types were formulated or amended, including 196 state compulsory standards and 605 new state standards. There were 951 urban and rural weather forecast service and transmission stations, 315 satellite cloud map receiving stations, 1,234 seismology-monitoring stations and 27 remote monitoring network stations. Some 20.70 million records of marine data were collected through 927 marine monitoring spots. Surveying and mapping departments published 1,150 kinds of maps and 364 kinds of books.

Statistical Communique of the People's Republic of China on the 2000 National Economic and Social Development

• Part V: Education
• Part X: Culture, Public Health and Sports
• Part XI:Environment Protection