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Lively International Scientific and Technological Cooperation
Accompanying China's nearing WTO entry, an increasingly friendly business environment created by the opening-up policy has greatly promoted active international scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Zhu Lilan said at a press conference on December 27.
Large-scale cooperation and exchanges of various forms are taking place in many fields. To date, 152 countries and regions have established scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges with China. Among them, 96 have signed governmental cooperation agreements on science and technology or trade and economy. Non-governmental cooperation and exchanges between research institutes, institutions of higher learning and enterprises have experienced a wider scope of operation.
Forms of cooperation and exchanges have developed from visits and academic conferences to cooperative researches, joint laboratories, research institutes, and even wholly foreign-funded or Chinese-funded research centers in China and abroad. Microsoft, for instance, has invested US$80 million to launch its Microsoft£¨China £© Institute.
Fields of cooperation and exchanges have expanded from traditional technologies and basic subjects to high and new technologies, including biotechnology, information technology, space technology, new materials and new forms of energy. Chinese scientists have participated in international mega-projects of scientific research and the EU scientific research plan. Meanwhile, foreign scientists have participated in some key Chinese research projects, including the Beijing Electron and Positron Collider and the China digital earthquake website in the past two decades. Key joint Sino-foreign projects include the Sino-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite, the Sino-Russia 6,000-meter undersea robot, and China 's 1 percent share of work in the Human Genome Project £¨HGP £©¡£
International and regional cooperation has been strengthened, and the combination of technology and trade has made new progress. China has enhanced international and regional scientific and technological cooperation, and has held a series of multi-lateral international conferences and expositions and carried out regional cooperation, including the joint development of the Lancang River-Mekong River, the Tumen River, the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea trans-national economic zones and the Eurasian continental bridge. Cooperation in the fields of science, technology and economy with certain countries has been strengthened.
The Chinese Government pays great attention to integrating high and new technology industrial zones with the global economy. At present, there are 53 national-level high-tech industrial zones, where 150,000 enterprises yielded an export volume of US$11.9 billion in 1999, up 40 percent over the previous year.
Mutual benefit and joint development. International scientific and technological cooperation is mutually beneficial. China always follows the principle of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit in the win-win situation of international scientific and technological cooperation. Many Western countries have benefited greatly through cooperation and exchanges with China. In June 1998, U.S. President Bill Clinton admitted in an interview that Sino-U.S. scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges have been one of the most successful aspects of relations. Both sides should continue to strengthen cooperation in the fields of biology and medicine, which have great potential value for the people of both countries and the rest of the world.
Learning each other 's merits for common progress benefits both sides during cooperation. For example, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer carried by the U.S. space shuttle Discovery was designed and constructed by 37 research organizations from more than 10 countries and regions, including China, the United States, Russia, France and Italy. The core part of the particle detector is a huge permanent magnet made in China. Two natural resources satellites jointly funded and developed by China and Brazil are the biggest cooperative projects between China and a South American country. The first satellite was launched successfully in China in October, a demonstration of South-South cooperation in the scientific and technological field.
Traditional Chinese medicine and pharmacology, as national treasures, have functions that cannot be replaced by modern medicine in health-care undertakings. The World Health Organization £¨WHO £© has set up seven traditional medical cooperation centers in China, training professional technicians from abroad. China has attracted worldwide attention through its achievements in the treatment of burns, fractures, reconnection of severed fingers, microsurgical techniques, the principle of acupuncture analgesia and treatment of villous duct cancer. China has accepted many foreign students, and has also trained many professionals for other developing countries by sending medical teams abroad.
Scientific and technological cooperation has been an important component in China's foreign aid. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Yunnan Narcotics Control Committee have supported the "Green Project on Narcotics Control" launched in Yunnan Province and Burma in 1995. The practice, highly praised by the UN Narcotics Control Program, has provided convincing arguments for the UN Special General Assembly to work out a new strategy of global drug control. With China's aid, computer centers and earthquake research centers with China's best equipment have been founded in Albania£» demonstration power generation projects using solar and biological energy have been established in Zimbabwe £» malaria prevention and cure centers have been built in Kenya£» and methane-generation pits have been built in African countries, including Senegal, Guinea and Burundi.
Training professional technical personnel for other developing countries is an important aspect of China 's foreign affairs. The Ministry of Science and Technology£¨known as the State Science and Technology Commission before 1998 £© has trained 2,360 students from 103 countries and regions during 153 professional training classes in agriculture and forestry, energy, environmental protection, biology, information, enterprise incubation, science and technology policy and management. Outstanding results have been achieved. The Ministry of Agriculture cooperated with the United Nations Development Program £¨UNDP£© and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization£¨FAO £© in training classes on methane, freshwater fish cultivation, sericulture, hybrid rice and veterinary acupuncture for other developing countries.
At the conference, Zhu also introduced the Development Outline for International Scientific and Technological Cooperation during the 10th Five-Year Plan period£¨2001-05 £© and the Major International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Plan.
To promote international scientific and technological cooperation, cooperation with the developed countries' governments will be emphasized £» foreign technologies introduced into China will be digested and improved upon£» high-tech industries will be supported£» and innovation in enterprises will be promoted. Research organizations wholly or jointly funded by foreign research and development institutes and international or regional research centers in China shall be encouraged. Besides this, the Ministry of Science and Technology will build an overseas human resources database, formulate relevant policies to encourage overseas Chinese professionals to start up business in China, and further attract foreign talents and projects, Zhu said.
According to the Major International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Plan, strategic arrangements and assignments of major scientific and technological cooperation activities will be made during the 10th Five-Year Plan period, key international scientific and technological cooperation projects will be organized and managed. The plan will bring the Government 's guiding and coordinating role into full play£» re-arrange capital, human and material resources£» fully utilize international scientific and technological resources and international scientific and technological achievements£» promote China's technological innovation capability £» and achieve a leap in the development of productivity, Zhu concluded. Beijing Review
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