Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday presided over a symposium to solicit opinions and suggestions on the draft government work report and the draft outline of China's 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development.
Li, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, heard opinions and suggestions on the two documents from leaders of the central committees of non-CPC political parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), and representatives of personages without party affiliation.
On economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), representatives at the symposium offered suggestions on strengthening macroeconomic regulation, building a robust domestic market, fostering new quality productive forces, deepening reform and opening-up, and safeguarding and improving people's livelihoods.
Li said the opinions and suggestions offered were valuable and expressed appreciation for their support of the government's work.
He stressed that this year marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, uncertainties in the external environment are on the rise, and risks and challenges remain in the country's economic development.
He called for pursuing more proactive and effective macroeconomic policies, strengthening coordination between reform measures and macro policies, and promoting higher-quality economic growth while achieving an appropriate increase in economic output.
Li expressed the hope that non-CPC political parties, the ACFIC and personages without party affiliation will continue to offer advice and suggestions actively, help address prominent challenges to development, and pool greater wisdom and strength in advancing high-quality economic and social development.
Chinese premier chairs symposium on draft gov't work report, five-year plan
The Institute of Physics (IOP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), released on Monday the world's first strategic research report focusing on the development of high-temperature superconducting tapes, providing a clear roadmap for the large-scale application of high-temperature superconducting materials.
This report systematically reviewed the global research and development, industrialization, and application status of rare-earth barium copper oxide (REBCO) high-temperature superconducting tapes, and for the first time, presented the 10 key scientific and technological challenges facing this field.
Superconducting materials possess extraordinary properties such as zero electrical resistance and perfect diamagnetism. They are regarded as strategically important frontier materials for the 21st century, with broad application prospects in key sectors such as energy, transportation, healthcare and scientific research. They are considered a crucial foundation for driving future technological breakthroughs.
However, conventional superconducting materials require operation at extremely low temperatures, resulting in high refrigeration costs and dependence on scarce helium resources. Consequently, for the past few decades, the application of superconducting technology has been largely confined to a few areas, such as particle accelerators and MRI machines.
In contrast, high-temperature superconducting materials represented by REBCO exhibit critical temperatures above that of liquid nitrogen (196 degrees Celsius below zero), significantly reducing cooling costs while demonstrating substantially enhanced current-carrying capacity and high magnetic-field tolerance, thereby laying the foundation for broader-scale applications.
The report noted that since achieving commercial production in 2006, REBCO high-temperature superconducting tapes have demonstrated significant application potential across multiple fields, including magnetic confinement nuclear fusion, high-end medical equipment, large scientific facilities, and superconducting power devices. Overall, their applications are concentrated in two major directions: power systems and magnet systems.
Although REBCO high-temperature superconducting tapes have entered the early stage of commercialization, there remains substantial room for performance improvement. The key to future development lies in systematically advancing collaborative innovation across materials, fabrication, and applications, the report said.
The report also systematically distilled for the first time the 10 key scientific and technological challenges hindering the large-scale application of REBCO tapes.
"These ten key challenges stem from our in-depth investigation of the entire industrial chain, from research and development to application," said Fang Zhong, an academician for the CAS and director of the IOP.
"By aligning with major national needs such as nuclear fusion and superconducting power grids, and analyzing the gap between existing materials and practical applications, we have clarified the specific directions that need to be tackled to advance from 'usable' to 'excellent'," Zhong added.
Cheng Jinguang, deputy director of the IOP, said it is hoped that revealing these core scientific and technological challenges will enable innovative forces from various sectors across China to achieve collaborative breakthroughs and promote leapfrog development in the field of high-temperature superconductivity.
Chinese research report draws roadmap for development of high-temperature superconducting materials
