Favors in Biotech Industries
As is disclosed recently by Liu Qian, the Director of Biotechnology Engineering Center under Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the following 5 years will witness China's transfer from current fund oriented support for biotech research and associated industrialization to policy oriented encouragement. Authorities concerned in this country are now working on a series of policies that will allow biotech industries to enjoy the same treatment as their software counterparts do. These favors include: no ownership restrictions will be imposed on the enterprises engaged in biotech research and industrialization; biotech industrie s will be favored with their IPO applications; the venture capital invested in biotech industries will enjoy income tax exemption; and the biotech products of independent intellectual property rights will also enjoy the tax holidays.
Liu also briefed that during the 10th Five-Year Plan period(2001-2005), the Nat ional 863 Program's budget dedicated to the biotech sector would be 4 to 5 times the combine d totals in the past 15 years, reaching RMB 5 billion. By then the overall capacity of China's biotech research and industrialization will be greatly accelerated to rank in the world advanced level in a decade.
To strengthen the innovation capacity of China's biotech industries, China will pay priority attention to the construction of 20 world class R&D bases and organize massive research activities in the fields of genome, bioinformation and biochips, tissues and organs engineering, animal-plant based biological reactor, gen etic transfer modulation, genetic cell therapy, high flux screening and bioengineering and techniques.
China's Online Copyright Protection
On March 26, 2001, Wang Huapeng, the Director of the Dept. of Copyright, State C opyright Administration expressed that China was working on its new rules for pr otecting Internet based copyrights. He revealed that one principle among others put clear: no works shall be published or distributed over the Internet without the permission of the author. Other new rules mainly stipulate that no violation on copyright protection technologies shall be allowed and nor copyrighted information shall be changed at will. Wang added that now there were lots of software and audio and video products distributed over the Internet. According to the new rules, obtaining online products through decoding is against law and the deeds downloading the copyrighted products and deleting the author's name for infring ed online publication are also prohibited by law. China will soon publish its new copyright law with the content protecting the copyright of works distributed over Internet.
The latest statistics have shown that China's online computers have reached 8.9 million sets and Internet subscribers 23 million, a population expected to growat an annual rate of 100%.
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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION |
Winner of International S&T Cooperation Award
On April 5, 2001, Xu Guanhua, the Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science an d Technology conferred on behalf of the Chinese Government the '2000 China Inter national S&T Cooperation Award to Prof. K.H. Wolfgang Panovsky, who is now worki ng for the Straight Accelerator Center of Stanford University.
Prof. Panovsky is an internationally renowned physicist. During his terms of of fice as the Director of the Straight Accelerator Center of Stanford University, the scientists under his leadership have worked out many world class research results. He has provided his generous support for the development of China's high energy physics by making himself a member of the steering group of Beijing Elect ron-Positron Collider and senior advisor to Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In his congratulation speech, Mr. Xu spoke highly of Prof. Panovsky especially h is contributions to Sino-US S&T exchanges, in particular in the field of high en ergy physics. He pointed out that along with the acceleration of the global econ omic process, the international S&T exchanges and cooperation would also witness a booming. At present, the Chinese Government is implementing its 10th Five-Year Plan for national economic and social development and encouraging scientists and engineers to work hard and bring out more inventions. In the meanwhile, it encourages Chinese scientists and engineers to absorb all the civilization results in the world and take an active part in the collaborative studies with scient ists and engineers of other countries.
Prof. Panovsky expressed his thanks to the Chinese Government for giving him the honor and wished to render more contributions to promoting the S&T cooperation and exchanges between the two nations and deepening the friendship between the two peoples.
Sino-US Joint Scientific Expedition
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Grotto Association of China Geology Society, US Grotto Foundation and Grotto Club of US based Oxford University will launch the joint expeditions over the grotto colonies over Leye, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Nicknamed Tiankeng (heaven pits) Grottos Museum, the grottos were discovered in an expedition made by Chinese geologists. Located at Leye County, Guangxi Autonomous Region and occupying an area of 20 square kilometers, the colonies are made up of 20 and more grottos such as Giant Stone Fence, White Cave, Windrock Cave and Through Grotto. These grottos are surrounded by the steep cliffs and look like a huge well with the bottom covered with virgin forests ranging several hundred thousand square meters interlaced with underground streams. There are abunda nt rare animal and plant species in the woods. It has ranked many firsts in the world in terms of its virgin forest coverage, depth and volume, promising great scientific research values. The Giant Stone Fence, the largest grotto in the colonies is of a vertical depth of 613 meters, a width of 420 meters running from south to north and the other 600 meters from east to west. Tiankeng Grottos dis covered this time have covered grottos in all types, deemed as a grottos museum and saint place for lava collection. As is shown by the comparison studies, before the discovery of the Giant Stone Fence, China has possessed three of the six largest funnel shaped grottos discovered so far in the world.
China's First Core Router
On March 26, 2001, the Core Router for China Information Highway Demonstration N etwork, a key project under the National 863 Program jointly developed by the Co mputer School of National Defense S&T University and Datang Telecommunication S&T Co. Ltd., passed the technical checks. Named Yinheyuheng, the core router constitutes the key facility for China's information highway demonstration network with its text re-transmitting speed reaching 25 million pieces per second and inf ormation flow 40 billion bits per second (equivalent to 2.5 billion Chinese characters per second).
The said router has landed a series of breakthroughs such as on real time online operational system, high speed exchange networking, online processor, high speed data transmission, security mechanism and complex protocol software, filling up the domestic blank with its integrated performance reaching today's internationally advanced level. The event is of great importance to the construction of Ch ina's information highway and demonstration network. It is reported that the sai d core router has been applied in the operation of Beijing based China Information Highway Demonstration Network.
Shanghai's New Vitiligo Therapy
Thanks to their many-year efforts, the researchers of Huashan Hospital subordina te to Fudan University have created promising new approach treating vitiligo through allografting of externally cultivated black pigment cells.
Adopting numerous techniques such as cell cultivation, electric microscope, immu ne grouping, special dying and isotope mix, the researchers of the said Hospital have made systematic study of the biological properties of externally cultivated black pigment cells with external experiment at cell level, explored the possibility of black pigment cell allografting and tested animals' rejection to such transplanting. On the basis of these efforts, the researchers have made the clinical trial treatment of vitiligo through black pigment cell injection. The resul ts have shown that the therapy is of remarkable effects. Up to date, they ha ve performed the treatment on 30 and odd patients with an effect rate of 95%.
Breakthroughs in Online Information Translation
On the basis of 16-year painstaking efforts, the translation robot studies chair ed by Chen Zhao- xiong, a research fellow with Computer Language Information Engin eering Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences have witnessed breakthrough solutions to a number of technical difficulties such as automatic information flow identification, classification, translation, format changing and management a nd the successful production of integrated online information translation platfo rm. The said system has found applications in major telecommunication networks s uch as China Telecom, China Unicom, China Jitong and Hong Kong Telecom, becoming the first online system that has put into operation in the world. Now you can have the access to the said platform through an online computer and secure the language you can understand through the system for having direct exchange with tho se who speak other languages. It is briefed that the application right transfer s have already made the system technology of a direct earning as much as RMB 60 million and the technology collaboration contracts worth 200 million and more Ho ng Kong dollars.
Direct Nanometer Applications
Chinese scientists have successfully planted the nanometer applications in biome dical areas. The so-called nanometer wound stick, sore stick and burn stick deve loped by Shenzhen based Anxin Corp. have found their clinic applications in No. 4 Military Medical School, Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Tianjin Chinese Traditional Medicine Hospital and Vietnam National Burns Hospital. As is shown by the results of these trail applications, Anxin's nanometer medical products are of numerous improved functions such as fast effect, extensive bacteria killing, free from toxication, irritation, allergy and drug resista nce and enhanced bacteria killing in water. Its successful development and e ntry into market will trigger a revolutionary change in the international bacteria killing products market.
It is briefed that Anxin nanometer sore stick is the only of its kind in the wor ld that may help the diabetes patients to heal their sores in a fast manner while the wound stick changed its old water fearing story by presenting an enhanced bacteria killing effect in water. The burn stick is not only able to prevent infection but also able to repair cells, make a quick heal of the burn wounds and lessen the formation of scars.
Abnormal Transfer Factors Discovered
Young researchers of the Nurosurgery Division, Shanghai Huashan Hospital have re cently discovered the apparent abnormality in gliomyxoma's malignant process, which runs counter against the commonly acknowledged concept that transfer factors are active in the malignant process. They have for the first time in the world discovered apparently lower TFIIB expressions in classes 3 and 4 gliomyxoma, whi ch landed statistics of 21% and 28% respectively against the comparison group of healthy people. With the help of the genetic chip techniques, the researchers have found similar abnormality in 5 cases of classes 3 and 4 gliomyxoma. Studies have revealed that the said abnormality could be a common place among gliomyxoma patients. The eventual full disclosure of TFIIB's expressions and roles in gliomyxoma growth will greatly improve people's understanding of attacking mechanism of cancer particles and their associated treatment.
China's First Anti-Tuberculosis Traditional Drug
The State Drug Administration has recently issued China's first certificate for the new Chinese traditional medicine treating tuberculosis, which has created a new approach attacking the stubborn disease. The certificate is granted to the Qibei Capsule jointly developed by Qinhuangdao Institute of Tuberculosis Medicines and the Drugs and Instruments Testing Research Center sub ordi nate to the Dept. of Health, the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The clinic applications of the said new drug at Beijing Xiyuan Hospital have confirmed its nu merous pharmacological functions such as bacteria resistance, cough relieving, asthma suppressing, phlegm dissolving and immunity enhancing. The said new drug has worked its four-year phase II clinic testing at dedicated tuberculosis hospi tals in seven provinces or cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong and Heilongjiang.
China Will Launch Intelsat Satellite
On March 23, 2001, China Great Wall Industry Corporation inked a satellite launc hing service contract with Europe based Astrium for launching the new Intelsat satellite, APR-3/Sinosat-1B with the China-made Long March IIIB rockets at Xi'chang Satellite Launching Center.
Intelsat has also signed with Astrium the satellite procurement contract and wit h Sinosat Co. Ltd. the agreement on satellite resources applications. As is defined by the contract and agreement, the telecommunication satellite will be manufactured by Astrium with 30 on-board transponders all in KU wavelength, of which 6 with Chinese wavelength will be owned by Sinosat Co. Ltd. Designed with a life span of 12 years, the satellite will be positioned in the orbit 85 degree east longitude over the equator, covering China, Russia, India and Middle East regi on. Upon into the operation, Sinosat will establish the so-called dual-satelli te system in the first place among three major domestic satellite operators. In th e meanwhile, Sinosat will acquire two C-band transponders linking east China with west US in an Intelsat satellite to be launched in 2003.
China's New Results on Genes
The Key Lab on Genital Science of Nanjing Medical University has recently achiev ed new results in their basic studies of genital health. Applying genetic chips and difference telling approaches in the biological studies of genital system, the Lab has been working on from April 2000 until today the genetic expression sp ectrum closely relating to the generation of male sperm and hormones and has acquired 400 and more genes staging the development of male sexual gland, of which 150 and more have not been registered for their full length sequences in the US based gene banks. Scientists have obtained from them 28 genes of full sequenced cDNA and registered them in the gene banks, which means they have discovered 28 new genes. In the meanwhile, they have found that 30 and more genes have the cut tings different from other genes and they have cloned 14 of them with full length cDNA, and made them into the gene banks.
430 Billion Created by Major National S&T Projects
During the 9th Five-Year Plan period (1996-2000), China's key national S&T pro jects created comprehensive economic benefits as much as RMB 430 billion on a cumulative basis. Of the said figures, direct economic benefits counted RMB 95 billion and foreign exchange from export USD 2.35 billion.
In the last five years, the Central Government have invested RMB 5.3 billion in key national S&T projects and raised RMB 17.6 billion for the same purpose from local sources. The efforts have led to the birth of 20,000 and more results with 1,300 patents granted either at home or abroad. In the meanwhile, 4,500 and more experimental demonstration zones and research and applications bases were es tablished.
During the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-2005), China will strive to make the overall technical and equipment level of its major industrial sectors such as information, manufacturing and infrastructures reach or approach the level of the developed nations in the mid 1990s in a period of three to five years.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Cheng JiaYi, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)68512650 Fax: (8610) 68512594, http://www.most.gov.cn
