China Focus: Boosting sci-tech innovation with solid basic research Xinhua 25 May 2021, 15:44 GMT+10 BEIJING, May 25 (Xinhua) -- The creation of a single-chromsome yeast, the first international entanglement-based quantum key distribution at the 1,000-km level, brain-like chips, research on ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays ... China has witnessed fast development in basic research fields in recent years, reflecting the success of efforts to build the foundations for a homegrown innovation environment. The primary role of basic research in driving productivity and development has been repeatedly highlighted. In 2016, the Chinese leadership set the target for China to become one of the most innovative countries by 2020 and a leading innovator by 2030, as well as become a leading global S&T power by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2049.