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{{Short description|Chinese technology program}}
{{EngvarA|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{dablink|For the manned space program, see [[Chinese space program#Project 863]]}}
{{History of the People's Republic of China}}

The '''863 program''' ({{zh|s=863计划}}) or '''State High-Tech Development Plan''' ({{zh|s=国家高技术研究发展计划}}) was a program funded and administered by the [[government of the People's Republic of China]] intended to stimulate the development of advanced technologies in a wide range of fields for the purpose of rendering China independent of financial obligations for foreign technologies.<ref>{{Cite book
  | first1= Hequan | last1 = Wu | author-link1=Wu Hequan
  | title = WCC 2000 - ICCT 2000. 2000 International Conference on Communication Technology Proceedings (Cat. No.00EX420)
  | chapter = The progress of communication technology subject of hi-tech research development plan of China
  | volume = 1
  | date = 2002-08-06
  | location = [[Beijing]]
  | isbn = 0-7803-6394-9
  | pages = 3–4
  | doi = 10.1109/ICCT.2000.889157| s2cid = 60832883
 }}</ref> It was inspired by the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]] proposed by [[U.S. president]] [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1983, and was absorbed alongside [[Program 973]] into the "National Key R&D Program" in 2016.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Zhi |first1=Qiang |last2=Pearson |first2=Margaret M. |date=July 2017 |title=China's Hybrid Adaptive Bureaucracy: The Case of the 863 Program for Science and Technology |url=https://gvpt.umd.edu/sites/gvpt.umd.edu/files/pubs/zhi_pearson-2016-governance.pdf |journal=Governance |language=en |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=407–424 |doi=10.1111/gove.12245 |s2cid=152280888 |access-date=29 November 2019 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171015/https://gvpt.umd.edu/sites/gvpt.umd.edu/files/pubs/zhi_pearson-2016-governance.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Gewirtz|first1=Julian|date=February 2019|title=The Futurists of Beijing: Alvin Toffler, Zhao Ziyang, and China's "New Technological Revolution," 1979–1991|journal=The Journal of Asian Studies|language=en|volume=78|issue=1|pages=115–140|doi=10.1017/S0021911818002619|issn=0021-9118|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2021 |title=Press Conference on the "Launch and Implementation of the National Key R&D Program": Summary Transcript |url=https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/press-conference-on-the-launch-and-implementation-of-the-national-key-rd-program-summary-transcript/ |access-date=2024-01-06 |website=[[Center for Security and Emerging Technology]] |language=en-US |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003013549/https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/press-conference-on-the-launch-and-implementation-of-the-national-key-rd-program-summary-transcript/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On March 3, 1986, the program was suggested by [[Wang Daheng]], [[Wang Ganchang]], [[Yang Jiachi]], and [[Chen Fangyun]] in a letter to China's [[paramount leader]] [[Deng Xiaoping]], who approved the program within 2 days.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.most.gov.cn/eng/programmes1/|title=Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China|website=www.most.gov.cn|access-date=2019-11-29|archive-date=6 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106013128/https://www.most.gov.cn/eng/programmes1/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://cpc.people.com.cn/n/2014/1231/c69113-26308784.html|title=1986年邓小平亲自决策启动"863"计划--邓小平纪念网--人民网|website=cpc.people.com.cn|access-date=2019-11-29|archive-date=20 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920172028/http://cpc.people.com.cn/n/2014/1231/c69113-26308784.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The program was initially led by [[Zhao Ziyang]], who was the [[Premier of the People's Republic of China|premier of China]] at the time, and received a governmental fund of 10 billion [[Rmb|RMB]] in 1986, which accounts for 5% of the total [[government spending]] that year.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=reUcHRkOwCsC&dq=863+program+10+billion+1986&pg=PA58|title=Agricultural Biotechnology in China: Origins and Prospects|last1=Karplus|first1=Valerie J.|last2=Deng|first2=Xing Wang|date=2007-12-17|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-0-387-71138-6|language=en|access-date=27 November 2021|archive-date=5 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105025917/https://books.google.com/books?id=reUcHRkOwCsC&dq=863+program+10+billion+1986&pg=PA58#v=onepage&q=863%20program%2010%20billion%201986&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the US [[National Counterintelligence and Security Center]], the 863 program "provides funding and guidance for efforts to clandestinely acquire US technology and sensitive economic information."<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2011 |title=Foreign Spies Stealing US Economic Secrets in Cyberspace: Report to Congress on Foreign Economic Collection and Industrial Espionage, 2009-2011. |url=https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Reports%20and%20Pubs/20111103_report_fecie.pdf |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=[[Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive]] |archive-date=29 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229191532/https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Reports%20and%20Pubs/20111103_report_fecie.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Among the products known to have resulted from the 863 program are the [[Loongson]] computer processor family (originally named  ''Godson''), the [[Tianhe-2|Tianhe]] supercomputers and the [[Shenzhou (spacecraft)|Shenzhou spacecraft]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://english.ict.cas.cn/rh/rps/200909/t20090910_36875.html|title=Designing Quad-Core Loongson-3 Processor|website=english.ict.cas.cn|access-date=2019-11-29|archive-date=22 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922074739/http://english.ict.cas.cn/rh/rps/200909/t20090910_36875.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2013/09/scientific-innovation-and-chinas-military-modernization/|title=Scientific Innovation and China's Military Modernization|website=thediplomat.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-29|archive-date=3 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221003145043/https://thediplomat.com/2013/09/scientific-innovation-and-chinas-military-modernization/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History==
{{History of science and technology in China}}
Named after its date of establishment (March 1986, 86/3 by the Chinese [[Calendar date#Date format|date format]]), the 863 Program was proposed in a letter to the Chinese government by scientists [[Wang Daheng]], [[Wang Ganchang]], [[Yang Jiachi]], and [[Chen Fangyun]] and endorsed by [[Deng Xiaoping]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Feigenbaum |first1=Evan A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qwNmG9V1aIC&pg=PA141 |title=China's Techno-warriors: National Security and Strategic Competition from the Nuclear to the Information Age |publisher=[[Stanford University Press]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-8047-4601-4 |location=[[Stanford, California]] |page=141 |oclc=49415750 |access-date=19 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105025920/https://books.google.com/books?id=8qwNmG9V1aIC&pg=PA141#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=5 January 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> After its implementation during the [[Five-Year Plans of the People's Republic of China#The Seventh Five-Year Plan, 1986–1990|Seventh Five-Year Plan]], the program continued to operate through the two five-year plans that followed, with state financing of around 11 billion RMB and an output of around 2000 patents (national and international).<ref>{{citation|title=Science & Technology Newsletter No.380: 863 Program Creates RMB 56 Billion |url=http://www.most.gov.cn/eng/newsletters/2004/200411/t20041130_17780.htm |publisher=Ministry of Science & Technology of the People's Republic of China (MOST) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141120231723/http://www.most.gov.cn/eng/newsletters/2004/200411/t20041130_17780.htm |archive-date=November 20, 2014}}</ref>

In 2001, under the [[Five-Year Plans of the People's Republic of China#The Tenth Five-Year Plan, 2001–2005|Tenth Five-Year Plan]], the program was reevaluated in consultation with foreign experts. The result was a widened focus to strengthen the competitiveness of China in the global economy.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |url=http://www.most.gov.cn/eng/programmes1/ |title=National High-tech R&D Program (863 Program) |publisher=[[Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China]] |access-date=1 April 2015 |archive-date=6 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106013128/https://www.most.gov.cn/eng/programmes1/ |url-status=live }}: 1. Orientation and Objectives, 2. Major Tasks.</ref> The evaluation practice has been included into the program as a project management system.<ref name=":2" />

In a 2011 court case, Chinese-born scientist [[Huang Kexue]] was found guilty of stealing commercial secrets from US-based corporations and passing at least some of this information to the 863 program.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-12-22 |title=Chinese scientist Huang Kexue jailed for trade theft |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-16297237 |access-date=2024-01-05 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB |archive-date=5 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105220853/http://www.bbc.com/news/business-16297237 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Outline==
The program initially focused on seven key technological fields:<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ke |first=Yan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7RVTuysT1rgC |title=Chinas Wissenschaft und Technik |date=2005 |publisher=五洲传播出版社 |isbn=978-7-5085-0671-5 |pages=109 |language=de |access-date=23 September 2016 |archive-date=5 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105025931/https://books.google.com/books?id=7RVTuysT1rgC |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Biotechnology]]
* [[Space technology|Space]]
* [[Information technology]]
* [[Laser]] technology
* [[Automation]]
* [[Energy development|Energy]]
* [[Materials science|New materials]]
Since 1986, two more fields have been brought under the umbrella of the program:
* [[Telecommunications]] (1992)
* [[Marine technology]] (1996)

== See also ==
{{portal|China}}
* [[Science and technology in China]]
* [[Allegations of intellectual property infringement by China]]
* [[Program 973]]
* [[State Key Laboratories]]
* [[Project 985]]
* [[Project 211]]

==References==
<references/>{{S&T in China}}

[[Category:Science and technology in the People's Republic of China]]
[[Category:Technology transfer]]
[[Category:China Projects]]