Military technology for civilian use fair opens

A trade fair displaying civilian products made with military technology opened in Mianyang City of southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday.

Exhibitors included 11 defense enterprise groups under the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense of China, universities and over 100 non-military research institutes.

Their products cover the fields of electronic information, new materials, environmental protection, biological and fine chemicals,optical-mechanical-electric integration and modern agriculture.

China's defense enterprises began serving the country's economic development in the early 1980s. By 1996, the output valueof products for civil use made up 80 percent of the output value of such enterprises.

To date, a growing number of defense enterprises have taken part in market competition at home and abroad, while non-military enterprises showed great interest in military technology for civiluse. Troops also purchase products from civilian enterprises.

Ma Songde, vice-minister of Science and Technology, said, "China will shoulder the two tasks of economic development and maintenance of national security for a long time to come. Consequently, the development of military and civilian technology has an bearing on China's prosperity and security."