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863 Program

Chinese technology program

Chinese technology program

The 863 program () or State High-Tech Development Plan () was a program funded and administered by the government of the People's Republic of China intended to stimulate the development of advanced technologies in a wide range of fields for the purpose of rendering China independent of financial obligations for foreign technologies.{{Cite book

On March 3, 1986, the program was suggested by Wang Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Yang Jiachi, and Chen Fangyun in a letter to China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, who approved the program within 2 days. The program was initially led by Zhao Ziyang, who was the premier of China at the time, and received a governmental fund of 10 billion RMB in 1986, which accounts for 5% of the total government spending that year. According to the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the 863 program "provides funding and guidance for efforts to clandestinely acquire US technology and sensitive economic information."

Among the products known to have resulted from the 863 program are the Loongson computer processor family (originally named Godson), the Tianhe supercomputers and the Shenzhou spacecraft.

History

Named after its date of establishment (March 1986, 86/3 by the Chinese date format), the 863 Program was proposed in a letter to the Chinese government by scientists Wang Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Yang Jiachi, and Chen Fangyun and endorsed by Deng Xiaoping. After its implementation during the Seventh Five-Year Plan, the program continued to operate through the two five-year plans that followed, with state financing of around 11 billion RMB and an output of around 2000 patents (national and international).

In 2001, under the Tenth Five-Year Plan, the program was reevaluated in consultation with foreign experts. The result was a widened focus to strengthen the competitiveness of China in the global economy. The evaluation practice has been included into the program as a project management system.

In a 2011 court case, Chinese-born scientist Huang Kexue was found guilty of stealing commercial secrets from US-based corporations and passing at least some of this information to the 863 program.

Outline

The program initially focused on seven key technological fields:

  • Biotechnology
  • Space
  • Information technology
  • Laser technology
  • Automation
  • Energy
  • New materials Since 1986, two more fields have been brought under the umbrella of the program:
  • Telecommunications (1992)
  • Marine technology (1996) It included substantial support for the advancement of optics and optoelectronics.

References

References

  1. (July 2017). "China's Hybrid Adaptive Bureaucracy: The Case of the 863 Program for Science and Technology". Governance.
  2. (February 2019). "The Futurists of Beijing: Alvin Toffler, Zhao Ziyang, and China's "New Technological Revolution," 1979–1991". The Journal of Asian Studies.
  3. (September 13, 2021). "Press Conference on the "Launch and Implementation of the National Key R&D Program": Summary Transcript".
  4. "Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China".
  5. "1986年邓小平亲自决策启动"863"计划--邓小平纪念网--人民网".
  6. (2007-12-17). "Agricultural Biotechnology in China: Origins and Prospects". Springer Science & Business Media.
  7. (October 2011). "Foreign Spies Stealing US Economic Secrets in Cyberspace: Report to Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage, 2009-2011.".
  8. "Designing Quad-Core Loongson-3 Processor".
  9. "Scientific Innovation and China's Military Modernization".
  10. (2003). "China's Techno-warriors: National Security and Strategic Competition from the Nuclear to the Information Age". [[Stanford University Press]].
  11. "Science & Technology Newsletter No.380: 863 Program Creates RMB 56 Billion". Ministry of Science & Technology of the People's Republic of China (MOST).
  12. "National High-tech R&D Program (863 Program)". [[Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China]].
  13. (2011-12-22). "Chinese scientist Huang Kexue jailed for trade theft". [[BBC News]].
  14. Ke, Yan. (2005). "Chinas Wissenschaft und Technik". 五洲传播出版社.
  15. de Seta, Gabriele. (2025). "Machine Decision Is Not Final: China and the History and Future of Artificial Intelligence". Urbanomic, [[MIT Press]].
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