Abstract:Changes in international development environment such as geopolitics, geo-economics and science and technology innovation are reshaping the world’s competitive landscape and altering the balance of power among nations. China needs to adapt to the changes in international development environment, accurately grasp the new trends, optimize and adjust the science and technology strategy, effectively respond to new challenges, and seek new advantages in international competition. This study reviews China’s choices of science and technology strategy under the changes in international development environment. By summing up the successful experiences and remaining issues of the past science and technology strategies, the study proposes new choices for China’s science and technology strategy in response to new international development environment. It is found that, China’s science and technology strategy has been continuously adjusted and optimized in response to the ever-changing international development environment. Successful experience such as engaging in international scientific and technological cooperation, formulating forward-looking and systematic policies, improving the construction of national innovation system, fully leveraging the advantages of the nationwide system, or advancing reform of systems and mechanisms for science and technology, have effectively addressed the complex and changing international development environment and propelled the rapid development of China’s scientific and technological endeavors. However, China still needs to deal with and resolve the remaining issues in science and technology strategy choices, such as the path dependency of critical core technologies, the lack of deep integration between innovation and industrial, the lack of synergy among “education,science, technology and talent”, and the non-principal role of enterprises in innovation. Facing the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the acceleration of deglobalization and regionalism, the rise of developing countries as a collective force, and the increasingly intense international conflicts and confrontations, China’s science and technology strategy should learn from historical retrospection and strengthen strategic foresight and form asymmetric advantages, enhance the development of a national self-reliant innovation ecosystem, and promote science, improve the new nationwide system to strengthen the basic capabilities of science and technology, and technology cooperation in the light of diverse international interests.