(EST Pub Date) Science and Technology in Communist CHINA Through 1970

Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420
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71. Little is known about the financing of re-
search and development programs, but in general
the programs are well supported. In 1960, the
science budget was $441,224,000 (2.45 yuan=$1)
or 1.54 percent of the national budget which was
up from $99,590,000 or 0.8 percent of national
budget in 1956, the year that China commenced
the “march on science” with a huge budgetary
increase over previous years. Research and de-
velopment have continued to expand since 1960,
especially in the expensive advanced weapons field,
and we now estimate that China's appropriation
for research and development is roughly in the
range of one-half to one billion dollars.
Ill. Resources
GENERAL
72. In the l950’s, the USSR began to aid China
with experienced manpower, technology, and some
equipment for a nuclear energy program. The
Soviets also participated with the Chinese in geo-
logical exploration, mining, and the design and
perhaps the construction of a uranium-metal plant.
In addition, they probably supplied plans and part
of the equipment for a gaseous diffusion plant at
Lanchou and possibly for a reactor facility at
_Pao-tou. The withdrawal of Soviet aid in mid-1960
undoubtedly impeded the Chinese program, forcing
China to reorient its efforts to develop and to pro-
duce, with little or no foreign assistance, the various
critical materials and equipment required. Thus,
virtually every field of science and technology in
China is seriously hampered by acute shortages of
well-trained, experienced personnel at the higher
levels. To overcome the critical problems in
science and technology, China will need the advice
and assistance of foreign experts for a number of
years to come.
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL MANPOWER
73. Although a useful degree of competence
exists within nearly every scientific and engineering
field, the number of well-trained and experienced
researchers available cannot cope with a vast num-
ber of demands for R&D support. The regime has
the resources to assemble a team of research scien-
tists and technologists who would be competent to
make progress toward almost any objective, but
only at the expense of other projects. Very slow
progress has been made in overcoming the very
critical shortage of scientists capable of doing ad-
vanced-level work, but programs under way indi-
cate that the rate of increase in the numbers of
well-trained research workers will begin to go up
markedly in the next year or two. By 1970, China’s
research staff will be considerably strengthened at
the upper levels of competence.
74. For the lower level of technical services for
which China is in great need, a good supply of
technicians and narrowly trained engineers is
available.
75. China now has an estimated 1,539,000 living
graduates of higher educational institutions. Of
these, 846,000 are specialists in scientific and techni-
cal fields, including 476,000 in engineering special-
ties. (See table 1.) Since the Communist take-
over in 1949, 1,355,000 students have been gradu-
ated from Chinese universities and colleges. By
1970, the estimated total number of graduates will
be more than two million. Of the 1,355,000 stu-
dents graduated since 1949, 780,000 specialized
in scientific and technical subjects. Tables 2 and
3 give the numbers graduating each year and the
cumulative totals through 1964.
76. The large numbers of scientific and teclmical
graduates cannot be taken as a direct indicator of
China's capabilities in research and engineering,
because much of the training given since the Com-
munist takeover has not been of high standard,
and many have had only a few years of experience.
Youth characterizes the scientific and technical
graduates, 90 percent having been produced since
1949. In contrast to the low age level of most
graduates, the average age of those capable of
competent research and engineering leadership is
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