The head of the Central Science and Technology Commission, newly established by the Chinese Communist Party last year, had not been publicly disclosed until yesterday. On June 25, Chinese Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee member Ding Xexiang made his first public appearance as the Director of the Central Science and Technology Commission. Observers are not optimistic about Ding Xexiang serving as the head of the Science and Technology Commission, as they believe that the Chinese Communist Party’s control over the field of science and technology will further prioritize political considerations.
According to Xinhua News Agency, on the morning of June 25, the National Science and Technology Conference of the Chinese Communist Party and the Second Plenary Meeting of Academicians were held in Beijing. Ding Xexiang made his first public appearance as the “Director of the Central Science and Technology Commission.”
In the reform plan proposed by the Chinese Communist Party’s party-state institutions in March 2023, the establishment of the Central Science and Technology Commission (referred to as the Science and Technology Commission) was mentioned, with its office located in the reorganized Ministry of Science and Technology. In August 2023, Chinese media reported that various departments of the Ministry of Science and Technology held meetings to study the spirit of the first meeting of the Central Science and Technology Commission. However, no mention was made of who the top leader of the Science and Technology Commission was.
Previously, there was a National Science and Technology Leadership Group within the Chinese Communist Party, with then-Premier Li Keqiang as its head, which was abolished in 2018. There were speculations that the Director of the Central Science and Technology Commission might likely have been Premier Li Keqiang corresponding to the caliber of this group, but among the members of the Politburo Standing Committee announced at the 20th National Congress are those overseeing science and technology, and Ding Xexiang is assigned to this role.
Current affairs commentator Li Linyi indicated to Epoch Times on June 26, 2024, that Ding Xexiang served as Xi Jinping’s trusted aide for many years. His promotion to Politburo Standing Committee member and Executive Vice Premier was based on political loyalty rather than economic expertise. While he may provide reassurance to Xi Jinping, his leadership may further politicize the field of science and technology, which could hinder innovation within the Chinese Communist Party.
Associate Professor Chen Shimin from the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University previously stated to Epoch Times on June 18 that the control of science and technology depends on who gains Xi Jinping’s trust. Despite Ding Xexiang’s background in science and technology during his university studies, he lacks a doctoral degree in the scientific field and possesses a bureaucratic rather than a strong scientific background.
Reported by Beiqing Zhengzhixin Media, in recent months, provincial party committees’ science and technology commissions in Henan, Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jilin, Sichuan, Hainan, and other provinces have convened meetings, indicating that the directors of provincial party committees’ science and technology commissions are jointly held by the provincial party secretary and governor in several provinces.
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping emphasized on June 24 at the National Science and Technology Conference the need to “strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Chinese Communist Party over scientific and technological work.” At the meeting on June 25, Ding Xexiang emphasized the promotion of scientific and technological innovation through a new nationwide system and other initiatives.
In March last year, the reform plan of the Chinese Communist Party’s party-state institutions mentioned the primary responsibility of the Central Science and Technology Commission, which is to “strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over scientific and technological work.”
Professor Kou Jianwen, Director of the Center for International Relations Studies at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, analyzed to Epoch Times that the Chinese authorities established the Central Science and Technology Commission to address the US-China confrontation, which involves US suppression of Chinese Communist technology. Moreover, the authorities aim to concentrate resources through the nationwide system to promote scientific autonomy and innovation.
Professor Kou Jianwen believes that the emphasis on centralization in finance and technology by the authorities is related to a sense of insecurity in the political regime. However, the development of technology and innovation requires freedom. Insufficient freedom, coupled with a national approach to technology, diminishes the space for autonomous innovation, posing significant risks to the technological advancement within the Chinese Communist Party.