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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION |
China-EU Cooperation in IT and Digital Olympiad
At the invitation of the EU Committee, a Chinese information technology and digital Olympiad delegation, headed by the officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad, attended the European Conference on Information Technology held on November 15-17, 2004 in Hague, the Netherlands. The delegation also attended a China-EU seminar on digital Olympiad and an associated working group meeting held on November 22-23.
During the conference, a China forum and a briefing on China-EU cooperation in digital Olympiad were staged. The deputy director of the EU’s information and society, and officials from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, and Beijing Municipal Information Office, and industrial representatives made their keynote speeches on China’s latest developments in microelectronics, network grids, software, and the next generation network. The presentations attract the participants’ great attention and desire for cooperation. China and the EU exchanged views on the cooperation in the fields of mobile telecommunication, open source code software, network grid, IPv6, and research network linkage. Both sides agreed to co-sponsor a special seminar at due time in 2005, in a concerted effort to apply for the EU’s 6th S&T framework plan in the capacity of China-EU collaboration.
China and the EU officially created a digital Olympiad working group on April 2003. As a platform for digital Olympiad cooperation between China and the EU, the working group mainly works on strategies, measures and actions to satisfy the information technology needs of the Beijing Olympic Game in 2008. As the first project in the cooperation packet, or one of the topics involving strategic planning for Digital Olympiad, the China-EU seminar on digital Olympiad held in Nice attracted the participation of numerous European industries and research institutes. New technologies, products and projects were introduced at the session. Meanwhile, the working group meeting lined up working priorities for 2005, based on a report summarizing the last two-year’s work.
China Participates GEO-5 Meeting
The Fifth Meeting of the Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO-5) was convened on November 29-30 in Ottawa . A Chinese delegation headed by Dr. SHAO Liqin attended meeting. The meeting was initiated to develop a framework and work on a ten-year Global Earth Observing System of Systems Implementation Plan for the CEOS-III meeting to be held in Brussels on February 16, 2005. The efforts will eventually lead to the establishment of a global ground observation system, and collaborative study of major development issues, including disasters, health, energy, climate, water, weathers, farming and biodiversity. The meeting was presided over by GEO’s four co-chairpersons who are from the United States, the European Union, Japan and the South Africa. The participants discussed the ten-year implementation plan ( nine chapters in all) and reached consensus.
China is an active GEO participant, in an attempt to take full advantage of the role of global earth observation system in assisting China’s sustainable economic and social development, especially in a long and medium run.
China-UK e-Science Cooperation
A high tech inspection group dispatched by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology visited the UK, November 15-19, 2004. With a mission to learn the proven experience and in an attempt to promote the development of China’s own high performance computer and associated core software, the group was briefed of the latest development achieved by the UK e-Science program, and established a collaborative tie with the program.
During the visit, the group visited a number of renowned British universities, including Oxford University, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Southampton, RAL National Laboratory and University of Edinburgh. On the basis of extensive and in-depth communications with S&T and management personnel involved in the e-Science program, the head of high performance computer, a project under China’s National 863 Program, and the head of the e-Science program jointly undersigned a memorandum of cooperation. The memo defines cooperative initiatives in the following four areas: 1) establishing a joint institute named OMII-China; 2) strengthening the cooperation in online data storage and maintenance; 3) establishing a cooperation project dedicated to the e-Science program and grid applications; and 4) promoting exchanges and cooperation among the two nations’ scientists.
Foreign Satellite Control Service
At 06:10, December 20, 2004, Chinese and French engineers successfully exercised a joint control over a French made experimental satellite. The three Chinese ground control stations under the Xi’an Satellite Control Center rolled out three rounds of accurate control data for the positioning of the French satellite. The event makes the first instance that China provides control services for a foreign satellite. It also marks China’s mature sharing functions compatible with international spaceflight control network, which will in turn further enhance China’s cooperation with international space community.
The Xi’an Satellite Control Center completed in 1999 the construction of an internationally advanced S-Band control network, mastering the needed key technologies, including heterogeneous spaceflight control information processing, transmission, and format changing, and making the Center sharing its control resources with the international space control community possible.
China-Japan Completes Largest Fire Experiment
China National Key Lab for Fire Science, in collaboration with Japan National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster, have recently completed in Hefei a fire array plume and fire cyclone experiment, the largest of its kind in the world.
Large fire array plume and fire cyclone experiments have long been a difficult experimental attempt in the world, as it may involve high risks and difficult operations. The joint experiment, made by Chinese and Japanese scientists, overcame numerous technical difficulties, and worked out a fire plume with a maximum 15X15 array. Researchers also constructed a 15m tall fire cyclone platform, where an 8.5m fire cyclone was successfully created. Scientists of both nations also derived from the experiment numerous data that are firstly collected in the world.
China’s First Full Radio-Frequency IC Chip
The Dingxin Semiconductor Corp., based in the Shanghai Zhangjiang High Tech Park, recently made the debut of a full version of radio-frequency IC chip, the first of its kind in China. The new chip, designed for PHS/PAS mobile phones, presents a fine performance with clear and quality voice.
Both CL3110, a PHS/PAS receiving and transmitting chip, and CL3503, a power amplification chip, developed by the Dingxin, can fully meet the international RCRSTD-28 standard for designing new mobile phones, with its sensitivity reaching the advanced level of the industry. The enhanced system can widen the network coverage, and drastically reduce the production costs of both radio-frequency component and the mobile phone itself. CL3110, using a lower and middle frequency（10.8MHz）, has a proprietary solution to overcome mirror restrictions. At the same time, the built-in VCO and the decimal divided PLL save the application of external SAW filter, which further reduces the production costs. The combination of CL3503 and CL3110 chips makes the further reduction of cost and optimization of radio-frequency performance possible. CL3503 and CL3110, using a 0.35μm Bi-CMOS technique, are packed in 48-pin QFN and 16-pin QFN respectively.
China’s High Performance Digital Signal Processor
Yinhefeiteng(YHFT-DSP/700), a 32-bit high performance digital signal processor, independently developed by the National University of Defense Technology, passed the verification check on December 17, 2004. The testing results show that the new system has a comprehensive technology performance better than the high end digital signal processors currently used in the world.
The three-year painstaking efforts have turned out the solutions to numerous key technologies, and eventually resulted in China’s first high performance digital signal processor. The new system makes a DSP chip with the highest comprehensive performance in the world. It not only presents domestically advanced technical indicators for calculation speed, I/O speed and power consumption, but also claims a comprehensive performance 30% higher than major international counterparts, when compared under the same technique. The event marks an important development to China’s national security industry, especially in addressing the security issues of DSP applications in China’s economic information system and national defense.
White Yak Transplanting
A study team of the Gansu Agriculture University has recently completed the white yak fetus production and transplanting, making it a proven technology for the animal’s conservation and fast reproduction, a rare species in the world. According to a briefing, it takes more than 3 months for the team to work out 30 white yak fetus. Researchers transplanted some of the fetus into black yak cows. So far 8 black yak cows have been conceived with white yak fetus. They are expected to deliver white yak babies in next March or April.
White yak, a special yak breeding developed through long time natural and artificial selections, characterizes a pure primitive nature but weak reproduction capability. The natural reproduction process generally allows two births in three years. The fetus production and transplanting can expand the stock ten times faster than the natural process. The artificial interference also makes the maximum preservation of the fine quality of white yak possible. The progress is of great importance to protecting white yak, an animal with a limited number and concentrated distributions. White yak is also desirable for economic values. White yak cashmere is as good as goat cashmere, while the production costs of white yak cashmere is only one third of the goat cashmere. The added values of white yak’s other elements, including bone, tail, fur and milk are 1.5 times higher than the black yak. The feeding pattern, living habitat and investment to raise white yak makes no difference compared with raising the black one.
China First Genetic Hepatitis E Vaccine
A proprietary genetically engineering hepatitis E vaccine, developed by the Xiamen University, was recently approved by the state authorities for I/II clinical trials. The vaccine expects to be the second GE tools preventing hepatitis in the world, following the appearance of hepatitis B vaccine.
The I/II clinical trials will be divided into phase I safety testing, and phase II immunity testing. During the phase I trials, vaccines will be injected into human body for adverse reaction observation. Phase II will test the vaccine safety on an expanded basis, observing antibody formation. It will take some one year to complete the two-phase trails. Researchers will start the Phase III protection trials to observe actual prevention results of the vaccine among more people, if the preceding two trials go smooth.
Traditional Herbs Treating AIDS
Thanks to a decade long research efforts, the Wudajinqiu Traditional Medicine Engineering Center in Shenzhen has successfully extracted valid active elements from traditional herbs that can curb HIV viruses. Experiments confirmed that the active elements could effectively protect cells from the attack of HIV viruses, and prohibit viruses copying. Researchers observed from the experiments that 90% of the cells staying in the culture plate made of such active elements are not affected by HIV viruses, and the viruses are also measured low in number. The finding suggests a strong prohibiting effect of the active elements on HIV viruses.
Chinese researchers applied the active elements on different HIV viruses collected from Australia, Japan and Portugal, and achieved the similar results, indicating the universal effect of the herb extracts on HIV viruses appeared in different parts of the world. The active elements, having gone through 9 dedicated testing procedures, including pharmacology, effectiveness and elements analysis, expect clinical testing in the near future.
Experts believe that the new drug is of merits such as less by-effects and lower costs, compared with the chemical compounds currently used to treat AIDS diseases.
Traditional Medicine Treats Liver Diseases
ZHAO Jingmin, a tutor of doctorate students at the No. 302 Military Hospital, recently announced that his study team has achieved a substantial progress in treating liver fibrosis with a compound traditional drug made of turtle fish. The new drug has been approved by the state authorities to treat liver fibrosis and early hepatocirrhosis.
Starting from 2001, ZHAO and his team has worked on an experimental model showing different liver fibrosis, using two internationally acknowledged scoring systems. They conducted quasi-quantitative assessment of the treating results using different dosages in both treatment group and control group. The finding shows that after a 3-month and a 6-month treatment with the new drug, the liver fibrosis scoring saw a noticeable drop in the post-drug-therapy tracking down for 3 or 6 months. This confirms the anti liver fibrosis effect of the new drug, and indicates that such effect is related to the dosages applied.
China First Air Elements Watch Center
An atmospheric elements watch and service center, the first of its kind at the national level, was established by the China Meteorological Administration on December 16, 2004 in Beijing. The new center is designed to produce observational, analytical and evaluation findings for atmospheric elements watch that are compatible with international standards, collect observational data on a long term basis, and gradually upgrade to boundary observations. The new center will also make numerical predictions and forecasting for major atmospheric elements, and roll out atmospheric elements forecast products. In addition, it will study the implications of major atmospheric elements on climate prediction and weather forecast, in an attempt to raise the accuracy. The new service center is also mandated to provide data for China’s diplomatic talks on climate issues and the national security.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Mao Zhongying, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)58881360 Fax: (8610) 58881364
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