Scientific papers published by Chinese scientists in international journals and those referenced ranked second in the world in 2017, said Wan Gang, China’s Minister of Science and Technology, China News reported on Jan. 9.

According to the minister, the number of scientific papers by Chinese rose by 70 percent from 2012 to 2017, ranking the world’s second. And for the first time ever, the number of citations exceeded that of Germany and the UK, which also put China in a number two spot.

The minister stressed that China’s scientific innovation ability significantly improved in the past five years.

Spending on R&D was estimated to reach 1.76 trillion yuan ($269.5 billion) in 2017, up 70.9 percent from 2012, and China topped the world in number of patent applications and authorizations.

In addition, the country’s transaction volume concerning technology contracts amounted to 1.3 trillion yuan last year, and there are now over 136,000 high-tech enterprises in China, providing more than 25 million jobs.

In 2018, the country will continue to promote the establishment of technology-based companies and the transformation of scientific achievements, and create a better environment for innovation by optimizing policy, Wan noted.