China's defense industry, known for its mammoth manufacturing and research capabilities, is joining hands with the national capital in developing Zhongguancun High-Tech Park, China's "Silicon Valley."

Under an agreement signed on November 24 between the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense and the municipal government of Beijing, the two sides will launch a wide- range cooperation project that will utilize the military industry' s resources in boosting the city's high-tech sector.

There are hundreds of research institutes in Beijing, which belong to the country's ten largest military industry groups directly attached to the commission. The city government of Beijing hopes to make use of these research bodies, which have a total staff of more than 200,000.

Liu Jibin, minister in charge of the commission, said he hoped that the agreement could set an example for future cooperation between the commission and other parts of the country.