BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- "No scientists in any other country enjoy the same level of treatment and attention as those in China," said Chinese condensed matter physicist Xue Qikun, who received the country's top sci-tech award from President Xi Jinping two years ago.

At a grand gathering in June 2024, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, shook hands with Xue warmly, extended his congratulations, draped the medal around Xue's neck, handed him the award certificate, and invited him to take a seat on the rostrum.

"General Secretary Xi emphasized the need to vigorously carry forward the spirit of scientists, encouraging researchers to aim high, dedicate themselves to the country and unswervingly focus on innovation. His words strengthened my resolve and confidence to devote my entire life to advancing China's quantum science and technology," Xue said.

Xi's respect and care for China's sci-tech workers reflect his belief that talent constitutes the fundamental wellspring of a nation's capacity for sci-tech innovation.

At a symposium on advancing basic research held in Shanghai this April, Xi urged efforts to "enhance the working and living conditions of basic research personnel, and foster an open, inclusive and failure-tolerant innovation environment."

The top leader's profound grasp of laws governing scientific and technological development has also left a deep impression on researchers and served as a powerful source of inspiration for them.

At a symposium attended by scientists in September 2020, Fu Qiaomei, a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, brought up a question to Xi that she had often been asked over the years -- "what are the real-world applications of your work?"

Chairing the event, Xi was deeply touched and responded: "How should we view these less popular scientific fields? In the conventional sense, some niche areas seem to have no practical use. Such a perception may hold back an entire field of research. When evaluating research, we must take a long-term, global and scientific perspective."

These remarks have always been encouragement for Fu. In May 2026, she led a team to successfully obtain key molecular information bearing diagnostic features of Homo erectus from six fossilized teeth dating back roughly 400,000 years, providing new insights into the evolution of East Asian hominins during the Middle Pleistocene.

While encouraging researchers to persevere through years of painstaking work in obscurity, Xi is well aware of their burdens.

He demanded freeing scientists from pointless formalities and red tape, and establishing a new evaluation system based on innovation capability, quality, actual effect and contribution.

In Xi's view, sci-tech workers should also target issues of global concern and offer Chinese solutions.

When working in east China's Fujian Province, Xi once briefed the visiting governor of Papua New Guinea's Eastern Highlands Province on the technology of Juncao, which uses a type of hybrid grass to cultivate edible and medicinal mushrooms, while also serving as animal feed and helping control soil erosion.

Seeing the governor show great interest, Xi later sent Chinese scientist Lin Zhanxi, developer of the technology, to the South Pacific island nation to promote Juncao there.

"Turning Juncao technology into a 'grass of happiness' that benefits the people of developing countries -- this is General Secretary Xi's expectation and the true value of science and technology," said Lin.

Although Lin is over 80 years old now, he continues to lead his team in organizing training courses and building demonstration bases around the world. Today, Juncao has been introduced to more than 100 countries and regions.

Besides Juncao, China has shared the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, the anti-malarial drug artemisinin and hybrid rice with the world to address common challenges. Under Xi's leadership, the country has also opened 10 major pieces of scientific research infrastructure, including the FAST telescope and the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe, to global scientists and engineers.

While addressing a meeting in 2021 that brought together the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the 10th national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, Xi underlined the need to "advance science and technology to better improve the well-being of mankind, and leverage China's sci-tech achievements to make greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity."■