CHINA  SCIENCE  AND  TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China

China Collaborates with Swedish Universities

A China-Sweden S&T cooperation forum, co-sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Swedish Government, was held October 24-25, 2005 in Beijing, in a move to facilitate cooperation and exchanges between the two nations. XU Guanhua, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology met with principal members of the Swedish Delegation. CHENG Jinpei, Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology and Ylva Johansson, Swedish Minister of Health made their respective remarks at the opening ceremony. Some 200 Chinese and Swedish scientists attended the forum. Participants made discussions on diverse topics, including biology, information and communication, water resources development and treatment, photoelectronics, bioenergy, and sustainable energy.

As one of the major events set for the opening ceremony, the High Technology Center, a part of the Ministry of Science and Technology, signed a letter of intention on cooperation with the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Chalmers University.  Both sides agreed to encourage cooperative activities in the fields of research, teaching, and findings spin-off, under a governmental framework on S&T cooperation jointly signed by China and Sweden in 2004. Both sides will work to enhance S&T cooperation and scientific links between the two nations, through seminars and academic exchanges.

KTH has so far established joint research centers with five Chinese universities, including Zhejiang University. Chalmers University has developed academic linkages and technical exchanges with a number of Chinese universities as well.

After the event, Jorgen Sjoberg, advisor to Chalmers University President, visited the High Technology Center, and held fruitful talks with his counterparts there. Both sides agreed to define cooperation fields and modalities, and organize international cooperation between two nations’ scientists through further talks.

Software Outsourcing Seminar

A software outsourcing seminar was convened on October 24, 2005 in Beijing. In an attempt to study the issues concerning software outsourcing from Europe and the US, nine experts from Boeing and EDS, and 57 representatives from 36 enterprises in 11 software parks, and from 2 software bases in Beijing and Jinan attended the meeting,

As a follow-up to the talks between MA Songde, Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology and Scott Griffin, Boeing’s CIO on April 11, 2005, and to a similar talk between MA and Michael Jordan, EDS ECO, on software outsourcing matter, the seminar is held to assist Chinese software makers to boost their competitiveness in obtaining outsourcing contracts, and facilitate the internationalized process of Chinese software industry.  At the meeting co-sponsored by the Torch Center, and Boeing and EDS, software outsourcing experts from two multinationals introduced the qualification requirements for selecting outsourcing partners, and presented case studies addressing the problems encountered by Chinese software makers in obtaining outsourcing contracts. They also had a heated and in-depth discussion with Chinese participants.

The seminar facilitates the cooperation between Chinese software makers and foreign multinationals, and assists Chinese enterprises to land more software outsourcing contracts from international markets. 

China Homes IBM Perform Center

An opening ceremony was held on October 28, 2005 to celebrate the official operation of an IBM Perform Center in the Wuhan High Tech Industrial Park, China’s optic valley. Heads of Hubei Provincial S&T Department, the Governing Committee of the Donghu Development Zone, IBM Asia-Pacific and Great China, and the Torch Center, a part of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, attended the event.

Wuhan is a booming city attracting software outsourcing activities, taking advantage of its human resources, convenient accessibility, and vigorous development of software industry. Based on nearly a year’s investigation, IBM decided to home its perform center in Wuhan, an optic valley in the country. The event indicates that IBM will transfer some of its software requirements collected from different parts of the world to the Wuhan Center, where the assignments are further contracted to IBM suppliers in Wuhan and other parts of the country. So far IBM has signed outsourcing contracts with Wuhan KMSOFT, Beijing Founder Electronics, and Wistron. Along with the establishment of the IBM Perform Center and the further development of software outsourcing businesses in the city, Wuhan will attract an increasing number of software outsourcing businesses to establish their R&D and perform centers on its territory. The development also means more software assignments will be destined to Wuhan from overseas sources, making the city a most important software outsourcing recipient in the country.

China-Italy Environment and Energy Cooperation

A briefing event to introduce the cooperation between China and Italy in the fields of energy and environment was held on November 8, 2005 in Beijing. More than 90 participants from the two nations’ government agencies, research institutes, and industries attended the event, jointly sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the State Development and Reform Commission, and the Italian Ministry for Environment and Territory.

According to a briefing, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Italian Ministry for Environment and Territory inked an agreement two years ago to establish a joint fund for cooperation in the fields of energy and environment. A line of promising projects, including a solar energy demonstration village in Inner Mongolia, a solar energy training center in Tibet, a biomass project in Ningxia, and an energy efficient building in Tsinghua University, have been financed by the Fund. Renewable energy is a priority area for cooperation between the two countries, with tremendous potentials for further tapping up. Both sides agreed that efforts should be enhanced to further expand and deepen the cooperation in these fields. Speakers from both sides also introduced at the meeting the cooperation projects that are under implementation.

MOU with ERTICO

Not long ago, XU Qiong, Deputy Director of the Department of High and New Technology, a part of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, and Mr. Max Mosley, Chairman of ERTICO, inked a Memorandum of Understanding in Shanghai, to strengthen cooperation in the field of intelligent transport. Both sides applauded positive results derived from the previous collaborations, and expressed hopes to sustain the sound cooperative ties. XU expressed thanks to the strong support and assistance provided by ETRICO in Spain for China bidding for hosting the 14^th World Congress on Intelligent Transport System. To further strengthen the cooperative ties, both sides signed a MOU, in an attempt to enhance experts’ exchanges and visits, and jointly work on the development and demonstration of intelligent transport systems. ETRICO promised to provide technology support for China staging the 14^th World Congress on Intelligent Transport System in Beijing.

More Diseases Genes Discovered

A special project to study functional genomes and biochips, under the initiatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology, has landed breakthroughs in sorting out new functional and diseases genes. Up to date, the project has screened out 1500 new genes relating to major human biological functions and diseases. Of them, 160 (class II genes) have the clearly defined functions with further development perspectives, and 24 (class I genes) have the clear functions that will lead to the appearance of new drugs. On the basis of sorting out required class I, II, and III genes ahead of schedule, the project has turned in 8 proprietary human genes for prephase collaboration with pharmaceuticals and research institutes.

The liver cancer team has obtained 15 interactive precursor compounds, using CYP-J as the target. Of them, YCZ001 shows a noticeable inhibiting effect on in-vitro liver cancerous cells. Jointly produced by Prof. YU Long of Fudan University Institute of Genetics and Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, a part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the finding makes the first successful precursor compound derived from gene cloning in the country. Having completed the target verification and the establishment of screening models, two new protein kinase (RX50、RX218) are heading for precursor compound screening, in collaboration with Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica.

As a product derived from the project, an MXR-7 gene based ELISA test kit for liver cancer diagnosis has entered an extended clinical trial. In addition, researchers have picked up the speed to study genes FP248、PP2250 , both important for serum based liver cancer diagnosis, and three others HCRP 1, p28 GANK,CT120, having the value for tissue based diagnosis.

The efforts to sort out leukemia genes, and to understand the associated disease causing mechanism has led to a range of original and innovative findings, including three newly discovered chromosomes that are wrongly positioned to cause leukemia. Researchers also developed a “second strike” theory to explain chronic myelogenors leukemia (CML). Accordingly, they worked out the Tretinoin and arsenic trioxide that achieved a full remission after an 8 to 30-month tracking application in 20 patients of acute Promyelocytic leukemia. The combined therapeutic solution expects to turn acute Promyelocytic leukemia into the first adult leukemia that can be cured. While applying APL based therapeutic solution to treating other types of leukemia, researchers coaxed the coordinated effect of  STI571 and As2O3 in inducing cells to wither.  A combination of STI571/As4S4 makes the BCR-ABL protein and abnormal protein tyrosine kinase the targets in treating chronic myelogenors leukemia.

Progresses for Electric Automobiles

Chinese engineers have noticeably raised the control, running, security and fuel performances of electric vehicles, using electricity-electricity drive solution. Chinese made prototype fuel battery sedan cars and buses made their debut at a world hydrogen energy conference held in May 2004 in Beijing. The Chinese made fuel battery sedan cars landed best scores in 5 of 7 measuring indicators (high speed S obstacle crossing, noise level, tail emission, energy consumption, and greenhouse gases reduction). Chinese made fuel battery buses also scored fine in technological performance and reliability, at a Michelin Challenge Bibendum for clean automobiles held in October, 2004. 

In the field of hybrid cars, Chinese engineers have completed the prototype development in diverse specifications, and began to work on performance prototypes and the associated industrial standards. A line of technological innovations have been made in control and hybrid coupling structures. On November 8, 2003, Hubei Province staged a demonstration of six hybrid buses developed by the Dongfeng Electric Automobile Co. Ltd.. The six buses had a test run for more than 300,000 km, carrying 500 ,000 person/time, on a combined basis. Comparing with ECE solutions, hybrid sedan cars showed an increased fuel efficiency by 40%. Chang’an Company has successfully developed the second round of functional prototypes and the third round of performance prototypes, using ISG solution. It also rolled out the first hybrid engine in the country, with its dynamic performance tested by the state authorities approaching the level of the reference cars, a reduced gas consumption by 17%, and a tail emission reaching Euro III Standard.

In the area of pure electric vehicles, the Chinese made electric sedan cars and buses have been tested by the State Quality Control Center, with all indicators up to the national and industrial standards. The pure electric sedan cars developed by Tianjin Qingyuan Electric Automobile Co. Ltd. have seen greatly enhanced dynamic performance, economics, consecutive mileage performance, and noise level. Following an export of 6 electric sedan cars to the US, Qingyuan signed another export contract with a US buyer for some 100 similar vehicles. Beijing Polytechnical University has completed the construction of a production base for electric automobiles in Miyun, Beijing. Its products have passed the verification checks organized by the Beijing Bus Company on December 30, 2003. Some 40 commuter buses in four specifications have been put into demonstration operation.

Chinese engineers also landed breakthroughs in mastering key technologies for making large power hydrogen-air fuel battery. The fuel battery engines with a net output of 30kw, 60kw and 100kw have passed the strict tests respectively at the Tongji and Tsinghua Universities’ fuel battery engine testing bases. The loaded fuel battery sedan cars have registered a mileage over 4,000 km, and fuel battery buses over 8,000 km, on a combined basis.

As for the power battery, Chinese researchers have worked extensively to raise the electric performance, security, and lifespan of power batteries. Their in-depth study of electric performance, work performance, shock resistance, and comprehensive technical indicators of the programmed management system has noticeably raised the performance of high power nickel-hydrogen and lithium cells to meet the basic requirements of vehicle operation. The high power nickel-hydrogen cells (8Ah) developed by Beijing Polytechnical University have a raised power density of 932w/kg, an internationally advanced level. Some of the nickel-hydrogen cells have recorded a cycle life over 1,500 times, with all other qualified performance indicators.

Apart from the above mentioned accomplishments, Chinese engineers have also rolled out special motors at the 50kw and 100kw levels to meet the basic requirements of commuter buses and the associated control system.   

Human Bird Flu Vaccine Out of Pre-clinical

On November 14, 2005, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Health jointly evaluate the progress of a project to produce human bird flu vaccines. Thanks to more than a year’s painstaking efforts, Chinese researchers have completed the development of manufacturing techniques for human bird flu vaccines, and established a virus bank. In the meantime, researchers worked out detailed techniques, quality standards, and testing modalities, along with a line of production workflows and technical documents. Tests of the vaccine in animals have shown reliable security performance and immunogenicity.

The research team, made up of scientists from SINOVAC BIOTECH CO., LTD. and China CDC, produces human bird flu vaccines using the NIBRG-14 viral strains provided by WHO. Under a prototype vaccine based technical line, the project has not only developed a capacity preparing human bird flu vaccines to fight a pandemic caused by avian flu H5N1 virus, but also a potential capability to produce new vaccines based on mutated strains. By creating a technology platform for producing human bird flu vaccines, researchers have made technical reserves ready for China to fight the possible pandemic. At present, the vaccine has entered the pilot production, in an attempt to make the vaccines available for clinical trials. The research team and CDC have jointly filed up an application for clinical trials before the State Food and Drug Administration.

       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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