Li
and Mle Marcia Mcnutt a
I During a week-long trip to China in January this year, I was invit.
ed to meet with Premier Li Keqiang In Beijing to discuss science
first I was in disbelief. After all. China is a nation of 1. 3 billion people
ad ft, Li, as Premier and Party Secretary of the State Council,, has many
s a speca/pressing issues of national and international concern to attend to
重大的 In all my years as a scientist, including heading a billion-dollar Us
research agency, this was the most significant invitation I had ever
received to meet with a sitting national leader to hear his vision for
science and discuss important global science matters. The fact that
sary a the Chinese Premier wanted to meet with me sent strong signals as
to how China is seeing science as critical to its future well-being
red to do: 2 The meeting would have clear ground rules. Just me. no U.S. re-
to enter porters, for 30 minutes. We would discuss science and the economy,
e恰当的, not politics. Some topics were off limits for the Premier, suggested
as more appropriate for conversations between President Bai
ety of things Chunli of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)and me. I ar
rived early for the meeting at a beautiful traditional Chinese recep-
tion hall. No x-ray machines or body scanners such as you find at
diate ac. the entrance to the U.S. Capitol and the White House. The Premier
and me, having tea. And we talked, and talked, for 70 minutes, or
How to leave
topics ranging from space exploration to international cooperation
provide ev- to climate change and environmental protection. At one point early
in the conversation, Lis aide rushed in with an urgent note. And yet
Premier Li dismissed him: whatever important matter demanded
his attention elsewhere would have to wait
3 The Premier was clearly well prepared to demonstrate tha
Chinas efforts to address its environmental woes have gone beyond
This text is adapted from an article in Science (Volume 344, April 11, 2014)
a:sia mok nat/西麦克纳特(美国地质物理学家,2013年起
