High-tech Fair Shows ProgressSuzhou, an ancient city in East China's Jiangsu Province is hosting a large-scale science and technology fair to promote technology innovation in the province.The three-day China Technological Innovation Achievements Fair, or Suzhou 2000, ends on May 29. More than 900 enterprises, 160 universities and 180 scientific and research institutes from across the nation were represented at the fair, which showcased more than 15,000 technology innovations and high-tech products. The fair underscored the close relationship between science and technology, education and economy, and the speed at which traditional industries can be reshaped by technology innovation that strengthens domestic business competitiveness on the world market, said organizing committee members. The fair was organized by the State Economic and Trade Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Jiangsu provincial government. Delegates from 33 provinces and municipalities, the Ministry of Education and the Chinese Academy of Sciences attended the fair. Organizing committee members said the fair, the first national-level fair focusing on business technology innovation, featured: Displays on the achievements in transforming traditional industries to high-tech industries, as well as aspects of Chinese businesses that would allow them to compete internationally once China joins the World Trade Organization, which appears likely. Displays on production and research that reflect the advances that the key State-owned enterprises have made in research and development in co-operation with universities and scientific research institutions. The new achievements heralded at the fair range from electronic information, biological pharmaceuticals, new materials, new advances in environment protection. Today, high-tech industries are the fastest growing sector of Suzhou's economy. They generated an output value of 45 billion yuan (US$5.4 billion) last year, up 30 per cent from the previous year. Of the 288 high and new technology enterprises in the city, 78 saw their output value surpassing 100 million yuan (US$12 million) and six exceeded 1 billion yuan (US$120.4 million), municipal statistics indicate. Last year, the city and financial institutions poured 18.19 billion yuan (US$2.19 billion) into industrial renovation. |
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