China is committed to a long-term and stable strategy on building the country into a sci-tech powerhouse by 2035, which has laid a solid foundation for encouraging an increasing number of top international scientists who have attachment to China to come back for further research, said Fields Medalist Martin Hairer.
As a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hairer has long been cooperating with the academic community in China, during which he has witnessed China's scientific and technological development over the years.
Hairer is in Beijing to attend the 13-day 2026 International Congress of Basic Science which opened on Sunday to showcase advances in mathematics, physics, information science and engineering, and other fields of basic science.
Over the past five to 10 years, China’s mathematical research has achieved a qualitative leap forward, he said in a recent exclusive interview with the China Media Group (CMG).
"I guess over the past decade or so, of course, the Chinese government made a very strong push to try to get these people to come back to China and it succeeded with some of them, actually quite a few of them. And now there are also more younger Chinese, the sort of new generation of Chinese researchers, like maybe do a post-doc abroad and then come back to China from permanent position. And we see this even with very strong mathematician. And so I think that's really something that has changed over the last few years," he said.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, the CPC Central Committee has vigorously implemented an innovation-driven development strategy, setting the goal of building China into a sci-tech powerhouse by 2035.
Meanwhile, it has been deepening reforms in the sci-tech system, unleashing the enthusiasm and creativity of sci-tech personnel, and advancing self-reliance and strength in science and technology, leading to historic achievements and transformation in the sector.
Hairer said the strategy has provided a strong support for scientific research in the country.
"By and large, scientists need good conditions in order to be able to do their research. Depending on what kind of science you do, you value different things. So maybe if you do experimental sciences, of course you need more resources for a big lab. In mathematics, by and large, the resources are maybe not as big, but people need some minimal amount of support to be able to travel and it's very important to be able to discuss with others," he said.
"But also one thing that people value is stability. People like to live in a place where they can kind of see their future and they don't have to worry about some revolution happening five years down the line. And so in that sense, it's not surprising that people who already have attachment to China would come back because they would see maybe a more stable environment and somehow with a more clear kind of long-term commitment to supporting sciences than if you have to be afraid that if there's in two years time just because of some strange ideas somebody has cut, science funding is suddenly cut. So, yes, I think it's very small strategy of the Chinese government, to somehow lay out some kind of long-term commitment, to guarantee some level of stability for people if they come back," he continued.
Hairer also shared his views on the academic ecosystem in China.
"Over the last few years, I mean, it's been really impressive to see how many resources the government has put into the mathematics, and, I guess, into the basic sciences in general. I think one thing that also has been really quite impressive to see is the rise, and that comes with the fact that strong Chinese scientists have come back to China, is the fact that now you have really strong young scientists who stay to do their PhD as well, who can do the whole scientific education in China. So I think that's something which is really quite impressive," he said.
The Fields Medal is a top international mathematics prize awarded every four years to two to four young researchers under the age of 40 in recognition of their outstanding mathematical achievements in existing work and their promise of future achievement.
China's strategy on sci-tech development attracts top talents: Fields medalist
