Researchers of Chengdu University of Information Technology in Southwest China test self-driving vehicle. [Photo/ Chinanews.com]

According to the 13th five-year plan for national science and technology talent development (2016-2020) released by the ministry, China had 5.35 million people working in R&D by the end of 2015, the world's largest pool of R&D talent.

More than 1.1 million overseas Chinese skilled workers returned to China from 2011 to 2015, three times the number of the previous three decades combined, it said.

However, the country is still facing problems, including a lack of researchers in cutting-edge, high-end fields and insufficient expenditure on R&D talent.