How Chinese labs race for the next ‘first-in-class’ breakthrough

China’s leading scientists and research laboratories are racing to deliver the country’s next breakthroughs in chemistry and other fields, fueled by record investment in research and development as well as an aggressive push for scientific self-reliance. From battery materials to biomedicine development, China is focusing on advancements in chemistry that often lead to industrial applications and major commercial gains. “China’s basic research has made great progress—it still lags behind the United States to some extent, but we will catch up in the future, ” says Tianjing Deng, CEO and cofounder of Pyrotech Biotechnology, a Beijing-based biotech company developing original therapies for inflammatory diseases and tumors. The country’s research spending has seen exponential growth in the past 3 decades, reaching 3. 9 trillion yuan (568. 6 billion) in 2025 in current yuan, an 8. 1% increase over the previous year, and accounting for 2. 8% of China’s gross domestic product. By one measure, China surpassed the US in terms of overall R&D spending in 2024. Amid a current economic slowdown compared with economic trends before the COVID-19 pandemic, China is betting on its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sector to grow what it calls the “new economy, ” which it hopes will be driven by high-value industries, including advanced manufacturing, biotech, and new materials. On March 5, China laid out a 5-year road map at its annual parliamentary meeting, setting broad-based overarching goals for the country’s economy. In the new plan, the 15th so far, China has once again emphasized the need for self-sufficiency in science and technology. Among