China's International S&T Cooperation Harvested
Xu Guanhua, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology recently pointed out that China has achieved new progresses in its international S&T cooperation. He said that China has witnessed numerous new developments in its S&T cooperation with EU. At present the 6th S&T Framework Program of EU has all opened to China with a number of projects being under the support of the framework program. Meanwhile, China opened its high tech development and major basic study projects to EU. China and France has established eight joint labs in the fields of information, automation and biomedicine. China also created joint labs with Germany in the fields of information, telecommunication and biomedicine. In addition, China established intergovernmental cooperation channels with UK and Italy.
Mr. Xu stressed that China's S&T cooperation has not only found its expression in EU but also all over the world. China has worked out a series of new policies to encourage an all-round, multi-aspects and more open international S&T cooperation pattern covering different fields.
So far China has formulated its development outlines for international S&T cooperation and launched its priority international S&T cooperation projects in 2001 while promoting a more extensive international cooperation in the field with associated guaranteed budget allocation. Up to date, China has established S&T cooperation ties with 152 countries and regions and signed intergovernmental S&T cooperation agreements with 96 of them. China is also a member of 1,000 and more international S&T cooperation organizations.
Mr. Xu added that China's S&T cooperation shall not only 'invite in" but also 'go out'. China will show a more positive attitude in its future international S&T cooperation , especially in multilateral cooperation. At present, China has not only been part of some major S&T cooperation projects such as human genome project, global environment changing program and European nuclear research center, but is also taking positive measures to be a more active part of other international cooperation programs. For example, upon the approval of the Chinese government, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) is negotiating with its European counterparts on China's participation in Galileo satellite navigation system. Another development is that the Chinese government has authorized MOST to negotiate with relevant countries on China's participation in international thermal nuclear fusion experimental pile project.
In addition, China has strengthened its cooperation with other countries in the field of high tech industrialization and started the construction of China-US S&T Pioneering Park at the University of Maryland, China-Russia S&T Pioneering Park and China-Singapore S&T Park. China will take further measure to encourage Chinese scientists to be part of the international academic activities and become officials of international academic organizations. Mr. Xu also expressed that China welcomed international academic organizations to set up their offices in China and the Chinese government would provide necessary support including financing.
China's High Tech Agriculture
It is reported from the sources of Chinese State Development Planning Commission that China will soon launch high tech agriculture industrialization demonstration projects in six priority fields, promoting the agricultural restructuring and upgrading and stimulating the applications of advanced technologies in agricultural sector.
a) Demonstration on efficient plantation and new aquatic species breeding and associated fine species industrialization. Priorities will be given to breeding animal and plant species of extensive impacts on agricultural produce market and able to remarkably enhance the market competitiveness through technical innovation and industrial development; the new animal and plant species that will create more opportunities for export and foreign exchanges making and increase farmers' income; and new tree and grass species direly needed by the ecological environment construction in the western region.
b) Demonstration on growing and breeding the species showing brand name strength and export and foreign exchange making perspectives. Priority will be placed on the demonstration of famous, special, rare and fine agricultural produces, and efficient and green growing and breeding techniques.
c) Demonstration on integrated agricultural technologies. Focus will be on field water efficiency and accurate agricultural technologies in the areas with conditions and demands; and production of foreign exchange making and high added value agricultural produces and integrated green production technologies.
d) Demonstration on deep processing techniques of agricultural produces and by-products and associated industrialization. Major support will be given to the integrated development of agricultural produces and by-products, tiered utilization and efficient and rational utilization of animal and plant wastes.
e) Demonstration on the industrialization of green environment oriented agricultural consumables. Priority support will be given to efficient, safe and environment friendly fertilizer, pesticides, growth modulating agents and feeds, and their scale and standardized production; and industrial process of modern farming machinery of fine market perspectives and engineering background.
f) Demonstration on agricultural information process. Focus will be on the construction of agricultural standards, quality and security system, and the agricultural information process providing fine and convenient policy and information service for agricultural sector by means of modern information technology, establishing information platform for production, technology and market; and exploring the agricultural information process mode of standardized service, fine circling and sustainable development.
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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION |
China-IBM Center
Linux computer operational system is now becoming a new loving baby in the course of China's information process. The recent formal establishment of an institute named China-IBM Solution Cooperation Center has attracted great attention of Chinese computer industry.
It is briefed that Linux is one of the prevailing computer operational system in the world with its original codes open to users. China directed its attention to the said development tendency in 1999. Last August, Beijing Municipal Delegation concluded a number of cooperation initiatives with IBM at the World Linux Conference in USA. The said China-IBM Linux Solution Cooperation Center is one of the initiatives. The Center will mainly support the Beijing Municipal Government to promote the development and application solutions of Linux based software products, supporting and assisting application, localizing and testing of Linux software based e-government and related education and personnel training in the field and jointly exploring the strategies and approaches to developing China's Linux industry.
Representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Beijing Municipal Government, Chinese Academy of Sciences and several dozens of IT businesses were present at the founding ceremony of the Center and they all expressed their optimism for Linux development in China.
The First Chinese-foreign S&T Park in Wuhan
The first joint venture S&T Park between Wuhan Municipality and Manchester Municipality, UK was approved recently for its establishment. The project will, in addition to establishing a joint venture S&T park in Wuhan, establish its joint venture S&T park in Manchester UK as well. It is briefed that the said cooperation mode remains the first of its kind in the country.
On October 23, 2002, Wuhan based Donghu New Technology Development Park inked a formal agreement with Manchester Campus Investment Co. Ltd. on jointly establishing Chinese-British incubators in Shanghai. According to the agreement, the joint venture S&T parks will provide service for both British and Chinese enterprises that start their business in the opposite country and create incubation conditions for the stationed businesses on an equal footing. When conditions come ripe, both parties will establish joint venture incubation management companies in Wuhan and Manchester respectively.
As is planned by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, China will establish a number of overseas S&T parks during the 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005) period so as to accelerate the internationalization process of China's high tech industries. Up to date, Beijing and Harbin have created their S&T parks in the U.S. and Russia respectively. The Chinese-British S&T Park jointly established by Wuhan and Manchester is the first case running joint venture S&T Park in both collaborators' countries.
China's Proprietary AIDS Killer
Immune Power, a new AIDS killer independently developed by the Chinese scientist Cao Heyang has recently witnessed the approval and registration at the State Drug Administration. As a result, the proprietary drug treating AIDS with Chinese traditional medicinal compound recipe has been allowed into clinic applications.
Mr. Cao started his study of AIDS treating drug in 1992. On the basis of his repeated experiments, Cao screened out the compound containing rich hydroxyl functional matters in 1998. The said compound is able to gather around the protein surface embracing AIDS viruses and prevents viruses from marrying CD4 molecules, which interrupts the combination of AIDS viruses with healthy cells and prevents human immune system from being attacked.
It is briefed that animal testing conducted by Shan'xi Provincial Health and Epidemic Prevention Center has shown that the Immune Power is of no toxic side effect. No. 4 Military Medical School's overdose testing on animals for 600-time quantity also showed no toxicant side effect. Under the support of Henan Provincial Health and Epidemic authorities, the drug has found clinic testing among AIDS patients in Zhumadian District, Henan Province. The treated patients have shown improved health condition and apparent remission of relevant symptoms. The drug has recorded an treatment effect of about 80%.
China's Home-Made Malaria Vaccine into Clinic Testing
The restructured malaria vaccine jointly developed by Chinese No. II Military Medical School and Shanghai Wanxing Biomedicine Co. Ltd. was recently approved by the State Drug Administration and the World Health Organization for its clinic testing. It is briefed that the new vaccine will make its phase II and III clinic testing overseas after the completion of its phase I clinic testing in Shanghai The new vaccine is expected to complete all of its clinic testings in 2006.
The World Health Organization has listed malaria vaccine development a priority development project for financing. Under WHO's financing of USD 600,000 for its pre-phase study, China has worked out the vaccine antigen made up of the combined proteins of two malarias, namely restructured the useful genetic information of the two proteins and found their highly effective expression in the new vaccine antigen through yeast.
It is briefed that so far the testing on animals has shown that the vaccine is of apparent effect on suppressing the growth of malignant malaria. The finding has applied for the Chinese national patent and PCT.
China's First High Performance DSP Chip
Thanks to their two-year and more painstaking efforts, Prof. Chen Jin and others of Shanghai Jiaotong University have successfully worked out China's first proprietary 16-digit high performance DSP (Digital Signal Processor) chip named Hanxin I by using the internationally advanced 0.18-micron semiconductor techniques. The development marks China's major breakthrough in the study of core technologies in its chip industry. The wholly home designed, made, packaged and tested chip is of a 32-digit calculating and processing core with a calculating capacity for over 200 million commands per second and a clock frequency of 200 MHz. The project has applied for 6 national patents. It is briefed that Hanxin I chip will become a substitute of its overseas made counterparts in a great amount and will find extensive applications in the fields of mobile telecommunication, digital camera, video conference, information security, high speed telecommunication equipment and information based household electric appliances.
Colored Chinese Cabbages
On the basis of their more than two-year hard working and tireless efforts, the study team headed by Prof. Zhang Lugang, a vegetable expert with the Northwest University of Agriculture and Forestry have eventually turned out Chinese cabbages in bright yellow or orange. The team have screened out the fine new species among a hundred more hybrid Chinese cabbage varieties.
It is briefed that Prof. Zhang started his work on changing the single color of Chinese cabbages a decade ago. He and his team have made the Chinese cabbage change its color by making it contain more carotene through repeated screening and hybrid process. The team have made relevant analysis and measuring of the new varieties' nutritional elements before screening out the new Chinese cabbage species not only with stable properties but also pretty appearance and fine tastes. In addition, the team found that the nutritional value of the new species was much higher than that of the traditional Chinese cabbages with its carotene content reaching 5 times and Vitamin C 60% higher than that of the traditional ones.
At present, the colored Chinese cabbage has found extensive growing over Yangling Agricultural High Tech Demonstration Park in Shaan'xi.
China's Nanotech Applications in Medical Studies
On Feb. 18, 2003, the Chinese Ministry of Health set up its Nanometer Biotechnology Key Lab in Zhongnan University. The Lab will get together domestic expertise on medicine, materials and chemistry to find nano-biotech applications in medicine.
China has listed nano-biotechnology a priority study field and established related priority topics and major projects under the National 863 Program, the National 973 Program as well as the programs sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation. The results or findings that came out of these programs have shown their extensive applications and bright commercial perspectives in the field of medicine industry. New products such as nano-medicinal carrier, nano-bio materials, nano-bio sensing device and imaging technology and mini professional medical instruments have played important roles in diseases diagnosing and treatment and health keeping.
China's National S&T Awards Conferred
The Conferring Ceremony of China's National S&T Awards for 2002 was held on Feb. 28, 2003 in Beijing. It is reported that 269 projects or persons became the winners of prizes under the Awards for the year 2002. Jin Yilian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has won the Top National S&T Award. The Award Selection Committee also selected out the winner for the First Prize of National Natural Science Award and 23 other winners for the Second Prize. The First Prize for National Technology Invention Award remains a vacancy, though 21 winners were applauded for their Second Prize. The National S&T Advancement Award conferred its First Prize to 18 winners and the Second Prize to 200 winners. Renowned foreign experts such as Nobert Angert from Germany, Toshisuke Hirano from Japan, Robert Degeilh from France and Joseph H.Hamilton and Yunzhen Cao from the U.S. were conferred with China's International S&T Cooperation Awards.
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
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