Asia-Europe S&T Ministerial Conference
Under the initiative of Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, Asia-Europe S&T Ministerial Conference opened in Beijing on October 14, 1999 with the participation of delegations headed by S&T minister of 10 countries in Asia and 15 countries in Europe and also 26 ministers of S&T departments in EUC.
While meeting with the participants, Premier Zhu Rongji stressed that by sticking to the principles of equality, mutual benefit and respecting intellectual property rights and in view of common interests and long range development, countries in Asia and Europe will surely create a new situation for S&T cooperation in the 21st century and render more brilliant achievements for human civilization and progress.
Premier Zhu pointed out that in today's world with the rapid development of science and technology, countries in the world have attached greater importance to the role played by scientific advance in economic and social development. S&T exchanges and economic and trade cooperation among countries in the world have become an important component in the development of international relations. At present, countries in Asia and Europe are facing many problems in their own social and economic development.
Addressing these problems has to be associated with many fields such as basic research, industrialization of S&T results, agricultural development, environmental protection, clean production technology, improving innovation capacity of enterprises and development of human resources. S&T
cooperation among the countries in Asia and Europe in these fields is well targeted and of the advantage of mutual supplement.
While addressing China's future S&T development, Premier Zhu Rongji said the Chinese Government has always attached great importance to the development of science and technology and to S&T exchanges and cooperation with other countries. So far China has forged S&T cooperation ties with 152 countries and regions in the world and become the member of 800 and more international academic organizations. Premier Zhu Rongji also expressed that reform and opening is the only road to realize the modernization of China.
Whatever difficulties or obstacles we will meet, Chinese people will always firmly stick to the road of reform and opening and China will actively promote the development of cooperations in different fields among countries in Asia and Europe on the basis of mutual benefits.
At the welcoming banquet in honor of the participants of the Ministerial Conference, Li Lanqing, Chinese Vice Premier, said the meeting hallmarks a new stage of S&T cooperation among countries in Asia and Europe in terms of both the level and scale.
Vice Premier Li Lanqing pointed out that during the era when science and technology has demonstrated itself a production element of most vital and decision making importance, politicians and enlightened people in the fields of S&T communities and industries have clearly realized that further coordination
and strengthening of S&T exchanges and cooperation, mutual supplement of their respective advantages to each other and benefits sharing are not only helpful for their own S&T development but also good for promoting economic and
technological cooperation between them, promoting regional economic growth and social advance and even the peace, stability, development and prosperity of the whole world. He hoped members of the Conference will play an active role in establishing effective cooperative mechanism and promoting S&T and economic prosperities among the countries in Asia and Europe.
Madame Zhu Lilan, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology, presided over the meeting. It is reported that the main theme of the Conference is “Asia-Europe S&T Cooperation in the 21st Century". At the two-day meeting, representatives from different countries discussed a number of political issues of common interest such as cooperation principle, mechanism, priority fields, cooperative modes and some other technical issues such as S&T resources sharing, development of human resources, agriculture, environmental protection, and improving technical capacity of small and medium enterprises.
Positive Stimuli for High Tech Industry
Madame Zhu Lilan, Minister of Science and Technology, said at the news briefing held during the course of 99' Fortune Forum on September 29, 1999 that China will work out more stimuli for the development of China's high tech industry so as to march more Chinese enterprises into the list of 500 world top enterprises.
She said that Chinese authorities concerned are involved in the establishment of venture investment mechanism. Apparently, the development of high tech industry does not only count on technological breakthroughs but also on the support of venture investment.
She added that absorbing talented people in high tech industrial development is also one important part of the stimuli.China should develop a fine encouraging mechanism for such absorption. Rewarding itself is not sufficient enough. S&T people shall be involved in the distribution system so as to let those with S&T achievements and ability of management become rich first.
She expressed that to promote the development of software products, China has announced to drop the added value tax of high tech products from 17% to 6%. She believed that China's software industry shall make its stronghold within the country and develop a market agreeable with China's own conditions.
The main theme of the Forum is "China, Future 50 Years". China's
development constitutes an important component of the world development. While taking its own road tailored to its own conditions, China's S&T industry shall learn from advanced management experiences of other countries. She said China is planning to raise its S&T contribution to the national economy by 10% in the next five years so as to greatly enhance China's overall capacity with the help of scientific advance in the new century.
Earlier this year, the Chinese Government announced that it has planned to invest RMB 5 billion in creating the national innovation system during the period from 1998 to 2000 so as to provide strong technological support for realizing sustainable development and make China's S&T competitiveness in the top ten in the world by 2010.
First International S&T Achievement Fair in China
The first China International S&T Achievement Fair lifted its curtain in Shenzhen on October 5, 1999. Premier Zhu Rongji presented at the opening ceremony and gave a speech.
Sponsored by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Information Industry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shenzhen Municipal Government, the Fair found the presence of 86 publishers from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and cities, Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan, 5 municipalities having their own planning, two overseas students groups, 27 famous universities from home and abroad and
27 countries including US, Germany, Japan and Australia. According to incomplete statistics, there were 2856 book counters and 955 investors with 15,000 items changing hands. Of them, more than 9000 items were changing hands over Internet. 4159 displays were shown at the book fair. 30 and more transnationals and a number of domestically renowned high tech enterprises demonstrated their latest products and technologies at the
Fair. In addition to the shows on “international computer,
telecommunication and network products”, 36 high tech related lectures will be presented by Noble Prize winner and renowned scientists, entrepreneurs, economists and venture investment and banking experts from home and abroad. More than a thousand Chinese and foreign journalists gave their coverage of the Fair.
China-Brazil Resource Satellite
Being Successfully Launched
At 11:16 October 14, 1999 (Beijing local time), Chinese made Long-march 4B rocket sent Resource I, a geostationary remote sensing satellite jointly developed by China and Brazil, and a Brazilian satellite “SACI-1” for short term scientific expedition into the designated orbit. This is the first cooperation in the field of space technology between two countries.
Jointly developed by Chinese Space Technology Research Institute and Brazilian National Space Research Institute, “Resources I” is designed with a total weight of 1540 kilos, orbit height of 778 km, life span of two years and triaxial stability system. The satellite is mainly equipped with CCD camera, infrared multiple spectrum scanner, wide field imaging system, space environment monitor, and data collection and transmission system. Its major function is to monitor the variations of land resources, estimate
forest reserves and crop growth, monitor disasters evaluate the loss, explore underground resources, supervise rational development of resources, monitor space environment and provide data for space research. Once the satellite is put into formal operation, it will send visible light, multiple spectrum, shortwave and thermal infrared remote sensing images to China, Brazil and other countries or regions who are able to receive.
Long-march 4B rocket that sent off the satellite is of total length of 45.775 meters. Applied with regular propellant, its taking off thrusts reached 300 tons. The rocket was improved with advanced technology to launch the said satellite.
This launch is the 58th flight of Long-march series rockets. Since October 1996, Long-march series rockets have made 16 launches and sent 25 Chinese or foreign made satellites into space with full success.
New Oil Field in Talimu Basin
Located in the vicinity of northern bank of the Talimu River, the newly discovered oil field was named Tahe Oil field. As briefed by experts from Northwest Branch of China Xinxing Petroleum Corp., who discovered the new prize, the oil field has so far covered an oil area of 720 km2 with the abundance per km2 reaching 1500, 000 tons. It is estimated that geographic reserves
of the oil field range from 700 million to 1 billion tons. It is planned to map out 500 million tons of the reserves for exploitation in the next two to three years, although the entire mapping needs longer period of time. Liu Guodong, a senior engineer of Northwest Branch, said that it was the first of its kind discovered in Talimu Basin in terms of its size, oil content and well connected reserves. It has become one of super large oil fields in the country in accordance with 100 million ton reserve standard defined by national authorities concerned. By the end of September, the proved reserves have reached 120 million tons. Harbored with 10.8 billion tons of oil and 8400 billion cubic meters of natural gas, Talimu Basin enjoys its glorious name “the sea of hope" in Chinese petroleum industry.
New Rice Breeding Techniques in high latitudes
A group of new paddy rice breedings featured with early ripening,
resistance to coldness and strong adaptability have demonstrated their fine yield record of 500 kilos per mu(1mu=0.0667 ha.) after their introduction into extensive areas in Heihe Township, Heilongjiang Province.
With an annual average temperature at 1 degree centigrade below zero and 115-120 effective days for paddy rice growing, the town recorded only 30 kilos for its rice yield in the past. Nicknamed as a "forbidden zone", the area is the ceiling for paddy rice growing not only in the north of the country but also in the high latitude regions in the world.
Thanks to their many-year studies and efforts, Chinese agricultural scientists have conducted paddy rice growing demonstrations over extensive areas in cold regions. Up to date, Heigeng No5, No.6 and No. 7 have become dominant breedings in the area, of which Heigeng No.5 has a growing period as short as 110 to 115 days. Now in the area of N 50'15", a 600-mu paddy field may produce a stable yield of 450 to 500 kilos. As confirmed by
experts, the technologies have not only filled in the domestic blank in the field but also reached internationally advanced level for similar research.
BOT Power Plant
Laibin Power Plant B, jointly financed and constructed by French Power Co. and Alstone United Entity for China's first power plant constructed in BOT manner, applauded for the successful operation and gridding of its first coal burning generation set of 360,000 KW. The development has laid a foundation for the planned commercial operation of the plant in 2000.
Laibin Power Plant B consists of two coal burning generation sets of 360,000 KW. In June 1996, French Power Corp. and Alstone United Entity won the bid with the former owning 60% of the equity. French Power Corp. is entitled to run the plant for 15 years after its completion of construction and then it will transfer the ownership of the plant to the Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The total investment of USD 616 million required by the project are all financed by the bid winners.
To reach the requirement of environmental protection, French companies have chosen proven VESTA designing mode including indirect ignition and boilers with dual controlled circulations and etc..
Patent for Marine Ecological Breeder
Recently Chinese Association on Quality Control convened its appraisal meeting on the socalled marine ecological breeder brandnamed as "Life Tree". Experts present at meeting believed that the birth of this high tech product will pave a way for the industrialization of spirulina growing, promoting the development of biotechnology and improving human ecological environment and life quality. The product has been granted with national invention patent.
Applied with biotechnological principles and high tech electronic control techniques, the socalled marine ecological breeder solved the difficulty of extension of spirulina especially that of live and fresh spirulina, which created safe, fast, economical and extensive applications and made hundred millions of homes have their own fresh spirulina food possible.
It is briefed that the Chinese Government had long attached importance to the development and utilization of spirulina and Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology listed the studies of spirulina in 7th and 8th Five-Year Plans and “863 Program” respectively.
“Life Tree" marine ecological breeder is the result of three-year efforts of experts in multiple disciplines organized by “National High Tech Industrialization Cooperation Committee” on the basis of the results achieved during the 7th and 8th Five-Year Plan periods. The new product will create fine economic and social benefits for the industrialization of spirulina growing and play an important role in improving Chinese people's health.
Approival of Joint Venture Schools
Conferring Academic Degrees
Head of Academic Degree Office subordinated to Chinese State Council disclosed on October 6, 1999, that 30 joint venture schools in the country have been granted with the right to confer academic degrees in foreign countries or Hong Kong.
It is reported that joint venture schools have made a fine supplement to the development of higher education in the country. After "Interim Regulations on the Establishment of Joint Venture Schools" issued in 1996, Academic Degree Office of the State Council has approved 30 training programs such as MBA master-degree course jointly offered by Peking University and
Fudam University and “high tech management orientation course” by Tsinghua University and Arizona University.
The said 30 programs are jointly undertaken by 27 Chinese universities including Peking University, Tsinghua University, People's University, Zhejiang University, Nanchang University and etc., and 25 foreign universities including those in US, UK, Australia and France and 2 Hong Kong based universities.
The joint venture education programs are aiming at training high-level management talents with MBA taking about half of the courses offered.
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