BEIJING - China's spending in research and development (R&D) last year surged 21.9 percent year-on-year to 861 billion yuan ($139.7 billion), the country's statistical authority said Wednesday.

The R&D spending represents 1.83 percent of China's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2011, which grew 9.2 percent year-on-year to 47.16 trillion yuan, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in the country's 2011 statistics report.

Xie Hongguang, NBS deputy chief, said the central government continued to reinforce its support for scientific research institutions dedicated to public service last year, and it deepened reform in the management system for research institutions.

"China has supported the implementation of significant scientific projects and promoted the construction of regional innovation systems with their own characteristics," Xie said.

Last year, China spent 39.6 billion yuan on basic scientific research projects, and the country constructed 130 national engineering research centers and 119 national engineering laboratories, according to the report.

The country's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) has made it clear that China will strive to enhance its scientific innovation capability during the five year period.

China will take strong measures to improve its scientific capability, including promoting significant breakthroughs in science and technology, reinforcing the construction of scientific infrastructure, and strengthening policy support for scientific and technological innovation, according to the plan.