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No.167 |
CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China
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| N0.167 |
Oct. 30,1998 |
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IN THIS ISSUE
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China's S&T Strength Enhanced
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Germany-China's Important S&T Partner
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World Advanced Insulating Materials
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Major Breakthroughs for Protein Rich Corns
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Funding Channel Planned
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'Creen College'Project Launched in Tsinghua
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China Set to Curb White Pollution
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China's S&T Strength Enhanced
As shown by the statistics provided by State Statistics Bureau, thanks to its two decade opening and reform efforts, China's accelerated pace of S&T system restructuring has promoted the overall development of its S&T activities and enhanced its S&T strength.
According to the statistics, there were in 1997 20.495 million professional technicians working for state owned enterprises or institutions with a population engaged in S&T activities totaled 2.62 million, of whom 1.68 million are scientists or engineers. The back-up S&T forces have also been enhanced annually. The new blood graduated from universities or colleges in 1997 were 876,000 in number, 34.8% up against 1990. Post-doctorate research fellows have become new academic leaders.
To ensure the steady development of S&T activities, the central government has maintained its increasing investment in the sector. In 1997, governmental appropriations for S&T activities reached 39.4 billion yuan, 2.8 times that in 1990 and 4.3% of the total financial expenditures in the year. In the same year, the nation's S&T expenditures amounted to 96.1 billion yuan, of which 36.8 million yuan were spent on research and development, 2.6 and 2.9 times that in 1990 respectively.
At the end of 1997, there were 5,819 independent research and development institutions in the country with a total staff of 970,000, of whom 430,000 are scientists or engineers. As the result of restructuring, the proportion of governmental appropriations in the total S&T budget has been going down. The proportion of research and development in the total governmental appropriations in 1997 was 36.2%. To accelerate the process of S&T results spinning off,industrialization and internationalization, the central government has started from 1993 granted 452 research and higher learning institutions with foreign trade business licenses.
Enterprises are the conjunction point of S&T and economic growth. Thanks to opening and reform, Chinese enterprises have seen great improvement in their research and development, technical upgrading and management . In 1997, among 24,000 large and medium industrial enterprises in the country, 46.4% had created their research and development institutions, 5,700 enterprises practiced the socalled engineer and technician responsibility system and 5,000 enterprises established their technical development funds. Budgets for research and development have taken 1.2% of their total sales revenues.
Germany-China's Important S&T Partner
On October 5, 1998, S&T representatives from both China and Germany gathered together in Beijing, celebrating the 20th anniversary of signing of China-Germany Inter-governmental Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation.
In the past two decades, two countries have witnessed bumper harvest for their bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology. German Ambassador conferred Federal Cross Medal ( the highest federal honor for people who have made outstanding contributions to political, economic and scientific courses)to Ms. Zhu Lilan, Minister of Science and Technology on behalf of newly elect German President to appraise her outstanding contributions to the S&T cooperation between the two countries.
As briefed by Mr. Li Xueyong, Vice Minister of Science and Technology two countries have carried out extensive cooperation in the fields of energy, raw material , earth science, aviation and space, environment and information technology. More than thousands scientists and engineers have participated in joint projects and harvested numerous valuable research results.
Both China and Germany have witnessed agreeable compatibility between their joint research efforts. In the spirit of mutual respect, understanding and practicability, they have established efficient mechanism implementing joint programs and projects. Germany has become an important partner of China in international S&T cooperation in the field of science and technology.
World Advanced Insulating Materials
Flexible epoxy insulating casting materials of world advanced level developed by Tsinghua University have recently won the approval of expert verification. The said materials of broad application perspectives will soon find a strong market call.
Thanks to their many-year research efforts, experts of Tsinghua University have created the theory of flexibility and developed flexibilizer and new epoxy insulating casting materials. Being an only high tech product using original split-phase method among electronic epoxy insulating materials, the said new product has been used by enterprises and research institutions in 11 provinces, cities and autonomous regions started from the early 1990s with remarkable positive results. The verification panel believed that the new insulating material is compatible to similar imported products valued by different indicators. Its flexibility, in particular, has been proven much better than that of their imported counterparts.
In power transmission industry, air immersed transformer has the strictest demand for its insulating materials. In the past, China had to rely on imported materials to meet the strict technical requirement. The birth of new epoxy material will change China's reluctant dependence on import.
It is reported that on the basis of flexibility technology, Tsinghua University will continue to develop other epoxy products so as to spur the development in this area.
Major Breakthroughs for
Protein Rich Corns
Thanks to two decade and more efforts of its scientists, China has witnessed its high yield protein rich corns grown in 18 provinces or cities in the country.
It is briefed by experts that China has so far developed 10 protein rich corn breedings including Zhongdan 9409, Zhongdan 3701 and Luyu 13. These new breedings may turn out an output 8-15% higher and lysine and tryptophane content 80% higher than that of ordinary ones with lysine content in per hundred gram protein reaching 4-5 grams. Furthermore, its free lysine content is also higher than that of ordinary ones.
China has grown protein rich corns in an area totaled 1 million mu. Last year Zhongdan 3850 and 9409 were grown in Longli county, Guizhou Province and harvested an output of 500-600 kilos/mu (749 kilos for the highest yield), 200% more than the average corn yield in the province.
It is predicted by experts that if China uses 80 million tons of protein rich corn as feed, it will enjoy a pork output increase by 1/4 to 1/3.
Funding Channel Planned
China will create an investment foundation to help develop its fledgling high technology industries, indicate sources from the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The foundation, the first of its kind in China, will be prepared by the ministry , United Securities Co, comprising major domestic firms, and Netherlands-based ING Group.
The initiative will involve 2 billion yuan (US＄240 million), a spokesman from the ministry's Torch Programme Administration Centre, in charge of hightech development.
Developing industries involving information and biotechnology, new materials, new and renewable energy resources and energy-saving and environmental-protection technologies will be the ministry's priority.
This will ensure funds are used more efficiently, suggests Zhang Jingan, the centre's director.
China has 13,000 high-tech enterprises in 53 high-tech industrial zones. But most face similar difficulties--insufficient capital investment and the lack of technological innovation and venture capital regulations.
The ministries of finance and science and technology, the Bank of China and other departments are enhancing venture capital regulations, indicate sources from the ministries.
China's central government began allowing venture capital operations in highly developed areas in 1985, when the country implemented reforms of science and technolgoy systems, said department official Shen Zhongqi.
Some enterprises tried the system, but failed due to their poor knowledge of venture capital and immature financial conditions, when the country just began introducing the market economy development mode, said Shen.
China has 20 scientific and technological innovation and investment firms in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Their capital investments come from regional financial departments and co-operation with overseas institutions, Shen said.
The lack of specialized talent and updated technology and management skills hinders development of venture capital systems, said Wang Lei, vice-president of Chinacom Corp.
The company, established in August, 1997 with the approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the former Ministry of Electronic Industry, is the first Sino-US information technology joint venture supported by risky investment.
China sees more than 30,000 scientific and technological research findings annually. These discoveries will be used to attract risky investments, said Wang.
'Green College' Project Launched in Tsinghua
The "Green College Demonstration Project" has officially started on the campus of Tsinghua University recently with three targets: "green" education, "green" science and technology and "green" campus.
According to the university president Wang Dazhong, "green" education refers to training talented persons based on the awareness of environmental protection and sustainable development. It's an important component in achieving students comprehensive quality. This education will penetrate the university's entire approach to study.
"Green" science and technology focuses on conducting a wide-range of scientific research in related areas through the above-mentioned awareness, with a concerted effort to provide a scientific basis and the necessary support for the state's comprehensive policy-making and environmental management. This awareness can give impetus to promoting wide-ranging international cooperation and academic exchanges in environmental protection science, with a view to developing related industry and strengthening cooperation between regions and enterprises.
The "green" campus aims to conduct comprehensive control and supervision on the quality of campus air, noise, waste water discharge and garbage disposal in an advanced scientific and technological management way.
"The university will develop into a first-class type of its kind approaching international standard within nearly 10 years. It will combine software science with hardware to become an all-round educational system to train high-profile talented persons armed with environmental protection awareness." said the president.
Xie Zhenhua, director of the State Environmental Protection General Administration, said the project will play a leading role in the nationwide "green-college" campaign, developing environmental protection science and technology and related industries as well as promoting environmental protection awareness for the entire nation.
China Set to Curb White Pollution
Two new technologies for the treatment of white foam plastic wastes, so-called "white garbage" recently passed official appraisal. Capable of turning plastic wastes made of polystyrene into anti-rust paint and styrene, they have aroused the attention of environmental protection experts.
One of the technologies, invented by the Beijing Haidian Zhongda Environmental Technology Institute, has gained a patent and been applied by the Beijing Huanyi Environmental Protection Products Center.
Styrene made by the new technology is free of foreign oil substances, with some specifications superior to petroleum products.
Currently, the center has installed equipment with a capacity of disposing of 1,000 tons of polystyrene rubbish a year, producing 400-500 tons of styrene with a 99 percent or above purity, and more than 100 tons of pitch. Moreover, the production process creates no new pollution.
This technology is being popularized nationwide, with potential benefits estimated at 1.8 billion yuan.
At present, the country's rubbish collection, sorting and disposal capacity lags behind the increase in the volume of abandoned plastic bags and snack containers. This has become a big headache for environmental protection departments at various levels.
Statistics show that China consumes 10 billion plastic meal containers each year . Of this amount, 700 million are used on passenger trains, 40 percent of which are abandoned along railway lines, averaging 120 pieces per 100 meters. Railway stations and nearby areas are even more seriously deluged with such trash. Beijing daily produces 600 tons of plastic rubbish, such as waste plastic bags and snack containers. Thrown away are also large quantities of padding and waste plastic parts of industrial products such as electrical appliances.
These plastic wastes can hardly be degraded under natural conditions, and disposal through burning and deep burial will only lead to more serious secondary pollution.
To solve the problem, various localities have adopted strict measures with some substantial results.
Starting from this year, Beijing began to ban super-thin plastic bags with a thickness of below 0.06mm. Governments of 20 other cities, such as Hangzhou, Da lian, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanning and Wuhan, have taken administrative means to prohibit the use of foam-plasitc snack containers in certain areas. The Ministry of Communications required all passenger ships and pleasure-boats sailing along the Yangtze River to stop using disposable foam-plastic dinnerware as of last July.
Production of paper tableware has been encouraged by the state. China now has more than 300 enterprises producing pulp-molded products, with product types being enriched from simple wrappings to industrial goods packing in different sophisticated shapes. The plant producing the well-known Chef Kang instant noodles plans to apply paper packing to all its products.
The railway sector is also popularizing paper snack containers. Currently, trains to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have all begun using such containers.
According to the State Environmental Protection Administration, China will completely ban foam plastics by the year 2005.
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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