Beijing, China - July 8, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of meeting conflating national science and technology award conference, general assemblies of members of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), 11th national congress of China Association for Science and Technology, in progress
2. Various of Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of Central Military Commission, conferring China's top sci-tech award for year 2025 on Chen Liquan; attendees applauding

Beijing, China - July 8-9, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Chen Liquan, laureate of China's top sci-tech award for year 2025; researcher at Institute of Physics under Chinese Academy of Sciences, and member of Chinese Academy of Engineering:
"For me, the honor itself isn't really the point. What matters is that the country takes the 'Electric China' vision seriously and gives it the recognition it deserves. To be honest, what we've done so far is still far from enough."

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of Chen, other researchers at work
5. Various of machines in operation

Beijing, China - July 8-9, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Chen Liquan, laureate of China's top sci-tech award for year 2025; researcher at Institute of Physics under Chinese Academy of Sciences, and member of Chinese Academy of Engineering:
"Without storage, wind and solar are intermittent: you only get power when the wind blows or the sun shines; otherwise, you get nothing. But with batteries, whether sodium or lithium, you can store the energy and release it whenever you need it. This award is really a call for all of us to come together and make 'Electric China' happen."

Beijing, China - July 8, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of meeting in progress, attendees, Chen speaking

Beijing, China - July 8-9, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Gu Dongfeng, member, Chinese Academy of Sciences:
"We must align our R and D with societal needs -- integrating frontier basic science into innovative drug development, leveraging AI to enhance medical devices, and accelerating the rollout of accessible diagnostic tools. Driven by real-world demands, we aim to boost innovation in medical science and technology, contributing targeted and meaningful efforts to the Healthy China initiative."
9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese, dubbed in English) Teng Jinguang, member, Chinese Academy of Sciences; president, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (ending with shots 10-11):
"The dream of building a world-class science powerhouse, cherished by generations, is now within close reach. Right now, it's the best time for overseas (Chinese) researchers to come back. Our industries need innovation to transform, while R and D needs industrial scale to deliver real impact. That mutual reinforcement is essential. So, I'd say, for any (Chinese) researcher (abroad), this is a great moment to return to China."

FILE: Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, east China - Oct 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Various of hyper-gravity centrifuge

FILE: Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Oct 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Various of all-solid-state battery production line

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Various of researchers working

Following the 2025 National Science and Technology Awards ceremony, leading scientists emphasized the need to align research with national strategic initiatives, while seizing the historic opportunity to contribute to the nation's vision of becoming a world-class science powerhouse.

On Wednesday, China's top minds gathered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping urged accelerated progress toward high level sci-tech self-reliance, calling for sci-tech innovation to serve as both the foundation and the engine for Chinese modernization. He said the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is a critical phase for tackling tough challenges in building up the country's strength in science and technology.

During the meeting, Xi presented the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award to Chen Liquan and Ben De, two outstanding scientists. Their areas of expertise are lithium batteries and radar technology, respectively.

"For me, the honor itself isn't really the point. What matters is that the country takes the 'Electric China' vision seriously and gives it the recognition it deserves. To be honest, what we've done so far is still far from enough," said Chen, who is a researcher at the Institute of Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE).

In Chen's view, "Electric China" is not just about electric vehicles -- it's about electrifying transportation, intelligent infrastructure, and low carbon energy.

And the beating heart of all this is energy storage.

"Without storage, wind and solar are intermittent: you only get power when the wind blows or the sun shines; otherwise, you get nothing. But with batteries, whether sodium or lithium, you can store the energy and release it whenever you need it. This award is really a call for all of us to come together and make 'Electric China' happen," said Chen.

The 2025 National Science and Technology Awards honored 258 projects and 11 individual scientists, delivering a powerful boost of encouragement and inspiration to the country's research community.

"We must align our R and D with societal needs -- integrating frontier basic science into innovative drug development, leveraging AI to enhance medical devices, and accelerating the rollout of accessible diagnostic tools. Driven by real-world demands, we aim to boost innovation in medical science and technology, contributing targeted and meaningful efforts to the Healthy China initiative," said Gu Dongfeng, a member of the CAS.

"The dream of building a world-class science powerhouse, cherished by generations, is now within close reach. Right now, it's the best time for overseas (Chinese) researchers to come back. Our industries need innovation to transform, while R and D needs industrial scale to deliver real impact. That mutual reinforcement is essential. So, I'd say, for any (Chinese) researcher (abroad), this is a great moment to return to China," said Teng Jinguang, a member of the CAS and president of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

At Wednesday's meeting, Xi called on scientists to push frontiers, step up for key projects and guide young researchers -- all to drive China's innovation. And he stressed that every scientist's work must serve the nation's ambition to become a sci-tech leader, with results that honor both the times and the Chinese people.