Environmental Protection: China’s Priority
At the third meeting of Second Session of International Cooperation Committee on China’s Environment and Development held on October 19, 1999, Wen Jiabao, Chinese Vice Premier, expressed that China will place its environmental protection into a more emphasized position in laying out its medium and long term plan.
Wen Jiabao, Chairman of the Committee, said since last year China has adopted a positive financial policy to strengthen its infrastructure construction and made pollution control and biological construction a focus of investment. In 1998 the country had witnessed an investment of RMB 72.1 billion in its environmental protection and pollution control , 43% up than that of last year. This year’s national financial budget and newly issued national treasury bonds have an increasing proportion for environmental protection.
He added that China has adopted a series of measures to accelerate the readjustment and restructuring of its industrial sectors in its strategic economic restructuring and firmly prohibited redundant construction activities, cut down the production capacity in surplus, outdated obsolete techniques and equipment and shut down enterprises causing serious pollution, which will create favorable conditions for environmental protection. Going along with the targets set for China’s environmental protection from 1995 to 2000, efforts have been made by all walks of life and remarkable results have been achieved.
International Cooperation Committee on China’s Environment and Development is a high level consulting organization established by Chinese State Council in 1992. It is mainly aiming at proposing suggestions to the Chinese Government on coordinated development and environment, assisting the Chinese Government to formulate an overall and consistent sustainable development policy and strengthening China’s cooperation with international communities on environment and development issues.
While addressing the future development and environmental protection, Wen Jiabao put forward 7 basic requirements including sticking to the unity of economic and social development and environmental protection and ecological construction by observing rules of economy and nature; firmly transforming current economic growth modes by taking the resource efficient development road; unified planning with weighted focus, treating both primary and secondary causes with comprehensive control; promoting environmental protection and controlling through S&T advance; strictly implementing responsibility system of environmental protection and ecological construction; strengthening the control over environmental protection and ecological construction through integrated efforts of legal and economic and necessary administrative means; and encourageing international exchanges in the fields of environment and development.
Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant Project
Jiangsu based Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant project was kicked off on October 20, 1999. Wu Bangguo, Chinese Vice-Premier, addressed at the opening ceremony and pushed the button to start the pouring of concrete into No. 1 nuclear island. This marks the completion of pre-phase preparation of this China-Russia energy cooperative project and the full fledge construction of 4 nuclear power projects set for the 9th Five Year Plan period in the country.
Tianwan nuclear power plant is the largest cooperative project between China and Russia. In 1992 both countries signed an agreement on cooperative construction of two sets of pressurized water reactors with an installed capacity of 1 million KW. Russian side is supposed to provide governmental loans at an annual interest rate of 4%. Situated at Tianwan, Gaogongdao Village, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, the engineering capacity of the power plant will contain four million-KW-scale nuclear generation sets. Phase one will see the construction of two of them and space preparation for the rest two. Russian made AES-91 nuclear generation sets are selected so as to be in line with internationally proven nuclear and radiation safety standards as well as with China’s relevant regulations and standards on nuclear safety. Digital controlling system manufactured by Seimens Corp. and other advanced measures have been applied so as to make the nuclear plant more reliable and safe. Enjoying a low construction and operational costs and fine economic performance, the power plant has a design life span of 40 years and the annual generation capacity of 1.4 million KWH. As defined by the agreement, Russian side is responsible for technology, designing of nuclear island and regular island and supply of set equipment. Chinese side is responsible for construction management, construction and supply, partial designing and most of installation.
Apart from capital investment made by four major investors on two generation sets, Russian governmental loans, commercial loans for procurement in the third countries, import & export loans and domestic loans have taken the lion’s share. Generation sets I and II will be put into operation in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
It is estimated that during the first 25 years of the operation of the nuclear power plant, the total tax paid to the government will exceed the total investment and be able to service its debts. The project’s payment of principle and interest is mainly materialized through barter trade with an average annual volume of several hundred million RMB, which will promote domestic export of products, especially that from Jiangsu. The future operation of the nuclear power plant may save burning of 6 million tons of coal each year and alleviate transportation pressure, reduce the sulfur emission and protect environment efficiently.
Chinese Rocket for Italian Synchronous
Telecommunication Satellite
A service contract was recently signed by Zhang Xinxia, President of China Great Wall Industrial General Corp.(CGWIGC) and Welio, President of Italy based Alania Space Corp. at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing. According to the contract, CGWIGC will use its Long March 3A rocket to launch Alania’s telecommunication satellite at Xichang Satellite Launching Center in the first half of 2001.
Long March 3A is a Chinese-made three-phased carrier rocket for launching geostationary satellites with a transfer orbit payload of 2.65 tons. Since its maiden flight in 1994, it consecutively has made three successful launchings. The said perspective launching will be the first of its kind for sending foreign made satellite into space and also the first service for Alania.
With an Alania made satellite platform, the satellite to be launched is a geostationary telecommunication unit with 28 KU transponders and a weight of about 2.6 tons. It is briefed that most of these transponders will be leased to European Satellite Organization. Named as “Atlantic Gate”, the satellite is supposed to provide wide band multi-media service for European and American regions.
CGWIGC is the only commercial launching service authorized by the Chinese Government for international commercial launching service and international space technology cooperation. Up to date, it has made 23 commercial launching and 5 carrying services for its international clients.
Foundation for Peking University Biological Town
A founding stone for Peking University Biological Town has been laid recently in Beijing Zhongguancun S&T Park.. In a close vicinity of Shangdi Information Industrial Base and covering an area of 34 hectares, phase one project of the Town will cover an area of 32,000 m2 on which four biological pharmaceutical plants, office buildings, research and development centers, greenhouse and experts apartments will be erected. Next five years will see the sales volume in the town reaching RMB 2 billion and also remarkable social and economic benefits.
Items listed in the phase one project include RHG-CSF, hepatitis A inactivated vaccine, special rubrolaucin series products, diagnostic testing products and experimental base for agricultural biological engineering. Products that are under research and will be produced in the town include RHG-CSF and others. The new biological town will be supported by Peking University Weiming Biological Engineering Research and Development Center and Peking University based National Key Lab on Protein and Plant Genetic Engineering with the latest research result produced at their R&D centers stationed in silicon valley of San Francisco and San Diego as the technology resources.
Clean Transportation
The Chinese Government has paid great attention to the innovation and development of electrically operated electric motor cars by listing the development of associated key technologies priority national major S&T research projects. Recently the socalled National Electrically Operated Motor Car Experimental Demonstration Park has been put into operation in Nan’ao, Shantou. Twenty dozens of Chinese and foreign made electrically operated motor cars are shown on the demonstration. In addition, proton batteries developed by China Fuel Battery Engineering Center have been put into small scale production. Shanghai based Kefeng Group has developed electric motor cars and bicycles of different specifications. The first car battery charging network has been established in Shanghai, through which it only takes three minutes for a client to have his or her battery charged. Beijing based Jingzhengping S&T Co. Ltd. has worked out super volume capacitors ranging from 2 F to 380 F, able to provide strong electric current for the car operational process from starting to speeding up and also able to absorb the instant large current triggered by braking. Zinc-nickel plastic battery manufactured by Beijing Xinxingsheng Co. Ltd. is of a price compatible to its lead sister but a higher volume reaching 80mh per kilo.
Legend Seeking for Trans-century Talents
Recently a socalled Legend seeking for trans-century talents campaign co-sponsored by National Graduates Employment Guiding Center of Ministry of Education and Legend Group was formally kicked off at Shao Yifu Conference Center of Ministry of Education.
It is reported that the campaign is aiming at making graduates of higher learning institutions aware of basic facts of high tech enterprises and their cultural and human resources strategies through briefing them the latest development of national industries and experiences of selecting, training and using talented people at national high tech industries so as to help them to establish a positive concept on employment and job selection while assisting them to improve themselves and help them to march into the society in a ready manner and contribute to the modernization of our country.
Eliminating Foam Plastic Food Box in One Year
Pan Beilei, Deputy Administrator of National Light Industry, briefed recently at the working conference on replacing disposal foam plastic food packages that, to eliminate “white pollution", China will replace foam plastic food boxes with environment friendly paper, starch or plant fiber based ones in one year.
China’s output of plastic products ranks the fourth in the world. These plastic products have found extensive applications in people’s daily life. However, plastic wastes have also become enormous in volume with foam plastic food box as the most. Its damage to the environment and associate economic losses are eye-catching. In this context, regulations on controlling and eliminating public hazards of white wastes issued by Chinese State Council and National Commission on Economy and Trade shall be firmly enforced so as to prohibit production and use of one-off foam plastic food boxes before 2000 and gradually eliminate the environmental pollution caused by “white wastes”.
It is reported that Chinese market has a sale of one-off food boxes approaching 10 billion each year with 80% of them made of foam plastics. Thank to the development in recent years, China has seen the improved quality of its pulp food box with greatly reduced costs and an annual production capacity of 3 billion. In addition to other projects under construction and other new products, it becomes possible to replace one-off foam food boxes with pulp, starch or plant fiber based ones in one year. Moreover, PRC Standard on One-off Foodware will be soon published for enforcement so as to promote the replacement.
Joint Protection of Chiru
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the biggest international organization to protect the nature, announced on October 21, 1999, that a world wide campaign of “buying no Chiru wool” was formally kicked off. Hao Keming, Chinese Chief Representative of WWF said on the news briefing that the demand for chiru wool products of fashion communities in Europe and America is driving the beautiful animals to the extinction. In this context, the focus of this campaign is upon educating consumers in the said regions.
Textile goods made of chiru wool is delicately thin and it is said a chiru wool shawl may run itself through a ring. At present, a chiru wool shawl may cost USD 1000 to 8000 in the international market. Chiru are mainly distributed in China’s Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and India’s Dalak.
It is reported that at the international seminar on protecting chiru and associated trade control held in Xining, Qinghai Province from October 12nd to 14st, representatives from governmental organizations of China, France, India, Italy, Nepal, UK and US and other civil organizations have unanimously adopted “Xining Declaration”, appealing for all efforts to stop illegal transportation of chiru and related products.
99’Heliang &Heli Fund Awards
On October 21, 1999, 6th Heliang & Heli Fund Award conferring ceremony was held at Beijing Diaoyutai State Gust House, at which Heliang & Heli Fund S&T Achievement Award was granted to Hou Renzhi and Lu Jiaxi, two renowned Chinese scientists, and Heliang & Heli Fund S&T Advance Award to other 60 Chinese scientists.
Madame Zhu Lilan, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology, chaired the ceremony and Hui Yongzheng, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, Chairman of selecting committee for the awards made his working report on 99’ award selection. Wen Jiabao, Chinese Vice Premier, addressed the ceremony on behalf of Chinese State Council.
Registered in Hong Kong as a S&T Award Fund, Heliang &Heli Fund is the joint contribution from He Shanheng Fund Co .Ltd. and Weilun Fund Co. Ltd. founded by Liang Qiuju, He Tian and Li Guowei. The Fund has established S&T Achievement Awards with a bounty of HKD 1 million per winner, awarding those who have long engaged in promoting national S&T progress, rendered outstanding contributions and achieved internationally advanced S&T results. The Fund has another award for S&T Advance with a bounty of HKD 200,000 per winner to reward those who have made important inventions, discoveries and S&T results in the fields of natural sciences. Up to date, 311 scientists have been honored.
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