China ranks fourth in R&D spending
Beijing -- China's scientific research and development spending in 2009 put it fourth in the world after the United States, Japan and Germany, officials said.
The country spent $87 billion on R&D, officials at the National Bureau of Statistics of China told the country's state-run news agency Xinhua Wednesday.
China's R&D activities in 2009 involved about 3.18 people, the largest number in the world, Cha Zhimin, deputy-director of the society and science department of the NBS, said.
Of the total spending, the government invested $20 billion on R&D in 2009, about 4.5 times that in 2000, indicating the government's willingness to boost innovation, Cha said.
However, the ratio of R&D investment against GDP stood at 1.7 percent, far behind the 3 percent in leading countries across the world, Cha said, adding China still remained far below many developed countries in original innovations, he said.
Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
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