China’s science and technology complex has shown vividly in this new century: the country has literally burst into the club of the world’s leaders. In considering the formation history, recent achievements, potential, and foreign assessments of Chinese science and technology, the authors relate this breakthrough to the consistent materialization of the modernization strategy and complex experience. The institutional structure of Chinese science combines planning and coordination “from above” with competition, initiatives of developers of technologies and industrial enterprises, and the growing protection of intellectual property. This competitive and full-blooded organism rests on a powerful information system and strong scientific–technological diplomacy, enabling it to counter external challenges successfully.