China's R&D expenditure in 2025 reached 3.9288 tln yuan, up 8.2% YoY. During the
14th Five-Year Plan period, R&D funding grew at a 10.0% annual average,
outpacing the US (8.4%), South Korea (8.9%), Germany (6.2%), Japan (5.8%) and
France (4.8%). China is now the world's second-largest R&D investor, behind the
US and roughly 3.4x Germany and 3.5x Japan. The expanded R&D base underpins
Beijing's push to accelerate development of a technology powerhouse.