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No.163 |
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CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China
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| N0.163 |
September 20,1998 |
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Transgenic Plants Booming
Since the National 863 High-Tech Research and Development Program was put into implementation, Chinese scientists have achieved remarkable progress in a number of study areas relating to pest and disease resistance and breeding improvement.Some of the results have been put commercial production such as transgenic tomato of extended maturity and transgenic pest resistant cotton that were approved for mass production in 1997.
Pest resistance genetic engineering projects
With the support of the National 863 Program, Biotechnology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have successfully synthesized Bt genes separated from bacillus thuringiensis. Collaborated with Jiangsu Provincial Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Shanxi Provincial Institute of Agricultural Sciences , it has successfully transferred the Bt genes into the dominant cotton species in China and derived from the process new transgenic cotton breedings of strong resistance to cotton worms, which made China the second country following US in the world who has developed cotton worm resistant breedings. Genetic Engineering Security Center of Ministry of Agriculture has approved the commercial production of the said breedings. The key technology of developing worm resistant cotton breedings had been granted with national invention patent right in 1997.
Paddy rice production is always threatened by lepidopteron families such as stripped rice borer, yellow rice borer, pink borer and rice leaf roller. Biotechnology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have successfully transferred Bt genes into rice species prevailing in China with its effect of yellow borer killing reached 90%. Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences has successfully transferred Bt genes into poplar and genetically transferred poplar species have been planted in an extensive area on an trial basis in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia respectively.
Disease resistant genetic engineering projects
Plant diseases are mainly attributed to bacteria, fungus and virus. Bacterial wilt is a kind of plant disease caused by bacteria. Potato production in the world may deplore for a yield reduction of 25% as the result of bacterial wilt and soft rot with annual economic losses amounting to US＄ 4 billion. South China is dominated by high temperature and humid climate in which rampant bacterial wilt attack may cause potato production reduction by 20% or even no harvest in some serious developments. Biotechnology Research Center of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences have introduced synthesized anti-bacteria peptide gene into major potato species in China and acquired genetically transferred potato species of improved disease resistance. The said technology has been granted with national invention patent right. So far anti-bacteria peptide genes have been supplied to a dozen of research institutes both at home and abroad for genetic engineering studies of rice hoja banca, potato soft rot, peanut and tomato bacterial wilt, Chinese cabbage soft rot, orange bacteria sore, mulberry and eucalyptus wilt and cheery root swollen.
Genetic engineering research on fungi has also become activated in recent years. Scientists have transplanted chitinase genes and glucanase genes into tobacco and genetically transferred tobacco has shown strong disease resistance. In addition, China has also witnessed fast development of its genetic engineering research on virus. Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Peking University have acquired genetically transferred tobacco resistant to tobacco mosaic disease and cucumber mosaic disease and introduced the new species in northwest China, Shandong and Henan for extensive plantation. In the field of rice research, genetic engineering species resistant to shrinking viruses have been developed.
Anti sodium chloride genetic engineering project
China has made some progress in its anti sodium chloride genetic engineering projects with cloning of proline amino acid synthesized enzyme, dehydrogenase enzyme, phospheglycerol dehydro enzyme and other related sodium chloride enduring genes. The genetic development has produced 1% sodium chloride resistant alfalfa, 0.8% sodium chloride resistant straw berry and 2% sodium chloride resistant tobacco. These genetically transferred plants have been grown in an extensive area for further experiment.
Quality improving genetic engineering project
At present stage, Chinese scientists have transferred amino acid genes necessary for coding into potato and acquired potato species of high amino acid content. These species have been grown in extensive areas in Inner Mongolia. In addition, they also successfully introduced high sulfur amino acid content genes into alfalfa which increased the sulfur amino acid content in genetically transferred alfalfa by 7% to 11%. Such genetically transferred species can be used as feed to increase sheep wool production.
Growth controlling genetic engineering project
The most mature technology on growth controlling in China is genetic engineering studies of extended maturity of tomato. Huazhong University of Agriculture and Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Science have acquired such genetically transferred tomato. The new species may be stored for 1 to 2 months with some even for 80 days. The research has come into a pilot experiment stage. In 1997, Ministry of Agriculture had approved its mass production.
Plant biological reactors
So far Chinese scientists have successfully transferred hepatitis B surface antigen and interferon genes into plants. These genetically transferred plants may be used to produce medicine or vaccine. China has just started the development and utilization of such technology in producing hepatitis Boral vaccine, epidermis growth elements and diarrhea vaccine for children by using genetically transferred plants.
On-line Technology Export
On August 27, 1998, Ministry of Foreign Economic and Trade Cooperation cut the ribbon for its on-line China Technology Export Trade Fair. It is another major event following the birth of on-line China Commodity Exchange Market opened in early July 1998 and marked another important step toward electronic commercial age of China's foreign trade.
China's technology export has enjoyed an ascending trend since the 1980s with an accelerated growth rate of 40% when reaching the 1990s, a rate much higher than that of commodity trade. However, China's technology export only took 5% of its total export volume, which explains the great potentials.
Last on-line China technology export trade fair gathered 350 technical projects of 700 enterprises and research institutions in 29 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. These projects covering high tech products, large equipment set, hardware supporting systems and technical services in different economic sectors could basically reflect China's technical resources and strength in different sectors. Most of displaying items were concentrated in machinery, chemicals, electronics, building materials and etc with high tech products mainly for space, aviation and biotechnology.
Technology projects listed in this technology export fair can be grouped in two categories: matured industrial and agricultural production technologies, equipment and small scale technical products; and sophisticated high tech products, large equipment and facilities for intensive production, patented technology transfer and consultation. This trade fair has been brightened with high tech development items such as China's carrier rocket service for satellite launching, seed cloning, bio-medicine manufacturing, programmed switching telecommunication, computer based automation system, ship building, airplane manufacturing and solar energy technology.
IBM-Botong (Xi'an) Software Development Center
On the basis of its six-month investigations in China, IBM, the largest computer manufacturer in the world has established IBM-Botong (Xi'an) Software Development Center jointly with China Xi'an Botong Telecommunication Information Co.
Xi'an Botong Telecommunication Information Co. is a high tech enterprise subordinated to Xi'an Communication University. Last few years have witnessed 20 and more major products coming out from Botong such as PDM system, IC card handset and supporting software, MRP-II software, IDMS software, of which MRP-II, PDM, Botong golden card and IDMS were listed as priority Torch projects at national, provincial and municipal levels respectively. Its software development, computer system, network design and construction, structure lining and system integration and service have been granted with ISO9001.
The establishment of IBM-Botong (Xi'an) Software Development Center has made the world advanced software developer find its home base in locality and will promote the software developed independently by Botong being in line with international standards.
Shanghai's Industrial Tendering Projects for US＄ 4.1 Billion
On September 2, 1998, Shanghai Municipal Government has announced in the presence of 500 Chinese and foreign businessmen in Pudong New Area that Shanghai decided to present 168 priority industrial development projects for tendering with a total investment of USD 4.1 billion.
It is disclosed that major industrial projects in the said tendering package are auto parts, micro electronic components, integrated machinery and electronics, digital telecommunication technology, modern medicine, advanced materials, environmental protection and green products.
This tendering will mainly serve for Pudong New Area. Thanks to its more than 8 years development and construction, it has created a fine investment environment , becoming a new base of industrial restructuring and economic growth point in Shanghai. To attract more foreign investment in Pudong, Shanghai and Pudong New Area have worked out a series of new favorable policies such as readjustment of internal and external sales proportions in favor of enterprises, shareholding right in joint ventures and independent accounting system.
As briefed by Mr. Huang Qifan, Director of Shanghai Municipal Economic Committee that Shanghai's total industrial output value in next three years will land a growth rate around 12%-13% and reach 700 billion yuan in 2000 with its industrial annual growth rate reaching 51% in its GDP. To reach this goal, the total investment in Shanghai's industrial sector shall reach 260 billion yuan in three years . In this context, vigorous attraction of foreign capital is an important way out for such a huge investment requirement.
Premier Approved Special Fund for Super Hybrid Rice Research
Recently Mr. Zhu Rongji, Premier of China State Council approved a special fund of 10 million yuan to support academician Yuan Longping, "father of hybrid rice" for his super hybrid rice studies.
Having engaged in super hybrid rice research and development, Mr. Yuan proposed the new thinking featured with merging the breedings of strong optical energy utilization together with strong distant hybrid and carried out experiments on three selected breedings that produced an average yield as high as 884 kilos per mu , 225 kilos more than that of existing hybrids with grade two quality. It is reported that super hybrid rice is an international research priority, heating point and difficult issue as well. If Mr. Yuan's research may bring out fine result in three years as expected, it will be the third major breakthrough of short stalk hybrid rice breeding. If the super hybrid rice can be grown in 100 million mu field in early next century, an annual yield increase of 15 billion kilos could be predicted in a conservative manner.
Founder's New FIT
China's superman of Chinese electronic publishing --Beida Founder has recently unveiled its composition software FIT 3.0. On July 20, 1998 Beijing Morning Newspaper who used FIT 3.0 as its composition software was off the press. Experts believed that new FIT is of strong functions and stable system for quicker and more convenient composition. On September 4, 1998 FIT 3.0 met its users in Japan and on September 9, 1998 its users in Taiwan. FOND management expressed that FIT 3.0 is the new generation product for WITS technology.
It is briefed that Founder started its development of FIT as early as in 1992. During the past several years, it has continuously absorbed the latest software making technology at home and abroad and developed FIT 1.0, FIT 2.1 and FIT 2.2 respectively. The newly developed FIT 3.0 is based on Windows 95 or Windows NT operational system. Tailored to the needs of newspapers, periodicals and publishing houses, FIT 3.0 is a completely new generation composing software. On the basis of its predecessors, it absorbed merits of WITS and other composing software and enhanced functions of every detailed links, showing strong functions in supporting OLE 2.0, color separation and soft plug-in components. FIT 3.0 is not only a composing and editing software but also provides processing support for composing elements such as fonts, pictures and graphs.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Dong Jianlong, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)68512650 Fax: (8610) 68512594, or Mr. Wang Jianping, Editor,NEWSLETTER, 15 Fuxing Road Beijing 100038, PR China, Tel:(8610) 68515544 Ext. 2921
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