The annual conferral of the National Science and Technology Awards in Beijing serves as a high-stakes barometer for China’s strategic priorities. For the 2025 cycle, the nation’s highest scientific honor has been bestowed upon Chen Liquan and Ben De, two titans whose life work provides the skeletal framework for China’s dual ambitions of green energy dominance and military modernization. Their recognition underscores a state-led effort to bridge the gap between fundamental research and industrial supremacy.
Chen Liquan, often hailed as the father of China’s lithium battery industry, is a figure whose influence is felt in every electric vehicle rolling off assembly lines from Ningde to Nevada. In the 1970s, while much of the world remained tethered to lead-acid technology, Chen pivoted his research toward solid-state ionics. His foresight laid the groundwork for the rise of giants like CATL and BYD, transforming China from a latecomer in energy storage to a global hegemon that controls the majority of the world’s battery supply chain.
Ben De’s contribution lies at the opposite end of the strategic spectrum, focusing on the invisible eyes of the modern military: phased array radar. As a leading academician, Ben spearheaded the development of indigenous radar systems that are now critical to China’s aerial defense and maritime surveillance. His work solved the 'bottleneck' problems of detection and tracking, allowing the People’s Liberation Army to close the technological gap with Western aerospace capabilities and secure its increasingly contested peripheries.
The elevation of these two figures reflects the 'New Quality Productive Forces' doctrine championed by the current leadership. By celebrating a battery pioneer alongside a defense electronics expert, Beijing is signaling that technological self-reliance is not merely a defensive posture against external sanctions, but a proactive strategy for global competitiveness. The awards demonstrate that in China’s vision, the laboratory and the battlefield are inextricably linked by the pursuit of indigenous innovation.