Summary of Major Scientific and Technological Achievements in China from 2025 to Early 2026
I.Nuclear Energy Technology: The World’s First Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Achieves Fuel Conversion
On November 1, 2025, the 2MWt liquid-fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor, led by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, achieved the first thorium-uranium fuel conversion, becoming the world’s only operating molten salt reactor that has obtained experimental data from a thorium-fueled reactor. This technology can harness thorium resources to realize the potential of “infinite energy,” with fuel reserves sufficient to supply China for 20,000 years, marking China’s establishment of a global leadership position in the field of fourth-generation nuclear energy systems.
II. Nuclear Fusion Energy: Achieving the “100 Million Degrees for 1,000 Seconds” Milestone
China’s “Artificial Sun,” the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), achieved a world record by operating a high-confinement mode plasma at 100 million degrees Celsius for 1,066 seconds on January 20, 2025. This milestone marks a crucial step in China’s fusion energy research, transitioning from fundamental science to engineering practice and laying the core experimental foundation for future steady-state fusion reactor construction. The EAST device integrates ultra-high temperatures, ultra-low temperatures, ultra-high vacuum, ultra-strong magnetic fields, and ultra-large currents, holding nearly 2,000 patents and overcoming challenges through 150,000 experiments.
III. Quantum Computing: Breaking Through the Quantum Error Correction Threshold and Entering a New Stage of Engineering
In 2025, the team led by Pan Jianwei at the University of Science and Technology of China achieved dual breakthroughs with the superconducting quantum processors “Zuchongzhi 3” and “Zuchongzhi 3.2,” surpassing the quantum error correction threshold for the first time and transitioning from “quantum supremacy” to “fault-tolerant computing.” This accomplishment was recognized as a major annual advancement by Science magazine, marking China’s entry into the development phase of specialized quantum simulators capable of solving scientific challenges in high-temperature superconductivity, quantum chemistry, and other fields intractable to classical computers.
IV. Artificial Intelligence: The Open-Source Revolution of Large Models Reshaping the Global Landscape
In January 2025, DeepSeek released its large-scale model R1, which matches the performance of OpenAI’s o1 while reducing training costs by over 90% and being fully open-sourced. This model sent shockwaves through the global AI community and was hailed by Silicon Valley investors as “the Sputnik moment for AI.” China’s core AI industry surpassed 1.2 trillion yuan in scale, with intelligent computing power reaching 1590 EFLOPS. AI-powered phones, computers, glasses, and other terminals are accelerating their adoption, with AI now permeating over 70% of smart manufacturing scenarios.
V.Aerospace Engineering: Dual Breakthroughs in Reusable Spacecraft and Deep Space Exploration
On February 7, 2026, China successfully launched a reusable experimental spacecraft, achieving horizontal landing and recovery, which validated key technologies of the “Tengyun Project” and demonstrated its potential for global reach within one hour.
The Tianwen-2 probe completed a lunar-Earth photo shoot, marking the start of its asteroid sample return mission; the “Zhang Heng-1” 02 satellite was successfully launched, establishing an Earth’s geophysical field observation system.
The lunar exploration project distributed 22,836.6 mg of lunar scientific research samples, supporting cutting-edge research on volcanic activity and water ice distribution on the far side of the Moon by 14 global scientific institutions.
VI. Life Sciences and Medicine: AI-Driven Paradigm Shift in Medicine
The AI prediction system for liver cancer recurrence developed by Sun Cheng’s team at the University of Science and Technology of China achieved an accuracy rate of 82.2%. The breakthrough, published on the cover of Nature in March 2025, marked the first “computational tumor immunology” feature article in the journal’s 156-year history, pioneering a new disciplinary direction. The system has now entered clinical validation and is expected to revolutionize early screening and personalized treatment for liver cancer.
VII.Chips and Computing Power: China’s Computing Power System Accelerates Formation
In 2025, China’s chip production reached a record high of 484.3 billion units. AI chips, optical computing chips, and memory-centric architectures are accelerating their implementation in China, with companies like Huawei, Baidu, and Alibaba achieving self-sufficiency in large model training chips.
VIII.Frontier Layout: Quantum + AI, Brain-Computer Interface, and Synergistic Evolution of New Energy
The Beijing Quantum Conference announced 16 achievements for the 2025 annual cycle, established a 500 million yuan quantum entrepreneurship fund, and promoted the new track of “quantum + AI” integration.
“Beinuo No. 1” achieved the world’s first wireless implantable Chinese language brain-computer interface, enabling ALS patients to communicate verbally.
China leads the global renewable energy transition, with the largest single coal mining subsidence area photovoltaic project now in operation, and continues to lead the world in new energy power generation capacity.
Authoritative Ranking: Top Ten Scientific and Technological Advancements in China for 2025
The “Top Ten Science and Technology News in China in 2025” selected by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering include:
- EAST achieves “100 million degrees for 1000 seconds” fusion operation
- DeepSeek-R1 Large Model Open-Sourced Breakthrough
- Thorium-based molten salt reactor achieves first-time thorium fuel conversion
- “Zu Chongzhi-3” Breaks Quantum Error Correction Threshold
- China’s AI Liver Cancer Diagnosis Lands on the Cover of Nature
- Reusable spacecraft successfully recovered
- The “Tianguan” satellite captures its first full-sky X-ray map
- Quantum communication achieves intercontinental key distribution
- The world’s first 1:2.5 million lunar geological map is released
- The superconducting quantum computing system achieves 105-qubit control
