Oceanic Technology Center Under Construction in ShanghaiGreat efforts should be made in Shanghai to vigorously develop marine study for the future in order to make Shanghai a center of oceanography on the western coast of the Pacific Ocean, said Prof. Wang Pinxian of Tongji University, academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences at the Shanghai Science and Technology Forum 2000.Prof. Wang said that many coastal big cities in the world are at once centers for oceanic technology characterized with their marine industries. While Shanghai, the metropolis having extensive influence on the coastal areas on the western side of the Pacific Ocean has already been endowed with advantages and opportunities to develop marine technology and the burgeoning marine industry. Shanghai Jiaotong University, Tongji University, Shanghai Institute of Maritime Transports and Shanghai Institute of Water Products etc. are all institutions of higher learning that have engaged for a long time in the study of ship-building and navigation, estuaries and coastal areas and the study of aquatic-products. All of them are standing at the forefront in China and also enjoy quite some prestige in the world. The gene research of deep-sea creatures, natural gas hydrate exploration, protection of wetland resources and other forefront sciences have come to be the subjects for research by Shanghai scientists. Experts are of the opinion that while Shanghai is making efforts to build itself into a marine technology center it should attach great importance to evolution in the transformation of research results. Since the implementation of the policy of reform and opening up some 20 years ago, the work for marine exploration in China has been developing by leaps and bounds. The gross-total value of its marine industry in 1999 reached 326.9 billion yuan, accounting for 2% of the GDP, an increase of a percentage point as compared to that of 10 years ago. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |