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CHINA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China
N0.323 February 28,2003
IN THIS
ISSUE
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*
China's International S and T Cooperation Harvested
*
China's High Tech Agriculture
* China-IBM
Center
* The First Chinese-foreign S and T Park in
Wuhan
* China's Proprietary AIDS Killer
*
China's First High Performance DSP Chip
* Colored
Chinese
Cabbages
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SPECIAL
ISSUES
China's International S and T
Cooperation Harvested
Xu Guanhua, Chinese
Minister of Science and Technology recently pointed out that
China has achieved new progresses in its international S and
T cooperation. He said that China has witnessed numerous new
developments in its S and T cooperation with EU. At present
the 6th S and 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 and 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 and T cooperation pattern covering
different fields.
So far China has formulated
its development outlines for international S and T
cooperation and launched its priority international S and 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 and T cooperation ties with 152 countries
and regions and signed intergovernmental S and T cooperation
agreements with 96 of them. China is also a member of 1,000
and more international S and T cooperation
organizations.
Mr. Xu added that China's S and
T cooperation shall not only 'invite in" but also 'go
out'. China will show a more positive attitude in its future
international S and T cooperation , especially in
multilateral cooperation. At present, China has not only
been part of some major S and 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 and T Pioneering Park
at the University of Maryland, China-Russia S and T
Pioneering Park and China-Singapore S and 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.
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 and T Park in Wuhan
The first
joint venture S and 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 and T park in Wuhan, establish its joint
venture S and 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 and 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 and 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 and T parks in the U.S. and Russia respectively. The
Chinese-British S and T Park jointly established by Wuhan
and Manchester is the first case running joint venture S and
T Park in both collaborators'
countries.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
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.
NEWS BRIEFS
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 and 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 and 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 and 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.
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