The 2008 National S&T Week and Beijing S&T Week opened in Beijing on May 17th. Mr. Han Qide, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and CAST chairman, and Dr. Wan Gang, vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and MOST minister, attended the opening ceremony held at China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing.

The theme of the 2008 National S&T Week is “building an innovative country together”. About 100 theme activities will be organized by relevant departments and institutions; and nearly 1,300 activities will be conducted by 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions nationwide. The S&T workers will hold a variety of S&T activities with the public to further create a good atmosphere of stimulating independent innovation and building an innovative country. It is a major event of Chinese mass S&T activities.

The National S&T Week is a large mass S&T activity held upon the approval of the State Council and sponsored by 19 departments and institutions including the MOST, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the CAST. Seven sessions of S&T Week have been successfully held since 2001.