The main content of the strategy is: to make science and education a priority for economic and social development with education as the basis, speed up the translation of scientific and technological advances into practical productive forces, enhance the scientific and cultural quality of the whole nation, making economic construction rely on scientific and technological progress and enhance the quality of laborers, to quicken the pace of building China into a powerful and prosperous country.
The Decision on Speeding Up Scientific and Technological Progress made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in 1995 set the target for China's scientific progress at 2000: initially set up a scientific and technological system that is compatible with the socialist market economic system and the scientific development law; make rapid progress in industrial and agricultural scientific research and technological development, basic and hi-tech researches. The contributions made by scientific research to economic development should be greatly increased. Economic construction and social development should rely on scientific progress and the enhancement of laborers' quality. The goals by 2010 are: consolidate and further improve the new scientific and technological system that has been basically set up, and realize the integration of science and technology with the economy; promote the prosperity of the scientific and technological cause and develop a top class scientific team and greatly enhance the scientific and cultural quality of the whole nation. China's scientific strength in major subjects and in some fields of high technology will approach or reach the world's advanced level. Independent creative abilities are to be greatly encouraged, and master the key technologies of major industries and system design technology is to be promoted. The productive technologies in major fields should approach or reach the level of developed countries in the 21st century, and that of some new industries reach the world's advanced level, so as to provide solid foundations for building China into a powerful socialist country.

The Decision also set the main targets and tasks for scientific and technological work in the main fields of agriculture, industry and new and hi-technology: make scientific progress a priority in the fields of agricultural and rural economic development, promote the transformation of traditional agriculture into a modern one with the features of high productivity, quality, and efficiency; introduce fine varieties, advanced technology and management methods, and speed up their promotion and application, provide a technological guarantee for the supply of meat, eggs, milk and vegetables, pay great attention to biological technology and other hi-tech research, development and their application in agriculture, and strengthen basic agricultural research.

The development of key industrial technology, techniques and equipment will be gradually based in China. The country will conduct scientific research based mainly on basic and pillar industries, and major construction projects, stress the development and promotion of the electronic information technology, advanced manufacturing technology, energy-saving technology and reducing power-consumption, clean production and environmental protection technologies; effectively use scientific and technological forces in the institutions of scientific research and higher learning to gradually establish a modern information network and quicken the pace in relation to the development of national economic information.

China's industrial strategy and development plan calls for the development of hi-tech industry a priority, and gives major policy support to the areas of finance and taxes, trusts and loans, and purchasing. The country will make efforts to improve the properties and quality of domestic hi-tech products and enhance their market competitive edge, the efficiency of hi-tech industries and their ratio in the national economy, so as to turn some hi-tech industries into pillar industries in the national economy. China will continue carrying out the hi-tech research and development plan, which will take a certain position in the fields of electronic information, biology, new materials, new energy, space, and oceanic studies. In the new and hi-tech industrial zones, the country will cultivate a group of large, trans-regional and industrial enterprises and enterprise groups that possess the ability to independently develop, are comparatively competent in market competition, and have intellectual property rights.

To realize the above goals, the nation will build a high-standard scientific and technological contingent, and enhance the scientific and cultural quality of the whole country. China will increase investment in science and technology through various channels and on multiple levels, and raise the research and development fund of the whole society to 1.5 percent of the total GDP by 2000. The country will open up further and conduct broad international cooperation and exchanges in science and technology, strengthen support for scientific work by Party committees and governments at all levels, and set up a state leading group of science and technology to guide the implementation of the strategy in order to develop the country through science and education.