97 Major Technological Goals Achieved in Ninth Five-year Plan

China achieved 97 key technological goals in the past five years, promoting the country's industry restructuring and technological progress and improving people's living standards, a senior official announced Wednesday in Beijing.

At a press conference Wednesday morning, Deng Nan, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, said that these technological breakthroughs in 11 fields have greatly changed the work and lives of the Chinese people.

Leading officials of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, Chinese Society of Metals, China Railway Society, Chinese Society of Motor Engineering, China Instruments and Meters Society, Chinese Medical Association, China Civil Engineering Society, China Water Conservancy Society, Chinese Association of Agro-Science Societies, Chinese Society of Forestry and China Society of Natural Resources elaborated on the major technological breakthroughs that occurred between 1996 and 2000.

Computer aided design (CAD) technology is basically equipped in the mechanical industry. Meanwhile, the country has the advanced technologies of rapid prototype manufacturing (RPM), precise forming, and processing. China has also developed numerically-controlled machine tools and computer-integrated manufacturing systems (CIMS).

China's iron and steel industry has manufactured more products, a great amount of which were churned out in the continuous casting process. Most open-hearth furnaces were replaced by oxygen converters in steel plants. The coal powder blowing technology in blast furnaces created by Chinese technologists has led other technologies in the world.

The speed of railway transportation has increased again and again. China has matured technologies for railway construction, locomotive manufacturing and safety protection.

The overall technological level of the country's automobile industry has been rapidly upgraded. Nationwide auto plants are now developing vehicles with new kinds of fuel, with their own intellectual property.

Modularization and computerized integration of instruments and meters was achieved by apparatus manufacturers.

Chinese medical scientists have joined the global human genome project (HGP) and completed sequencing work of one percent of the human DNA gene. They also made achievements in research on genetic diseases, clinical treatment for leukemia, neurosurgery, orthopedics and prevention of epidemic diseases.

The country's technologies for the design and construction of wide-span bridges and skyscrapers also led the world.

Research into water conservation and supply in the northwest region helped the country effectively use water resources.

Modern hybrid technologies helped increase production of farm produce, including some genetically modified products.

China has curbed further desertification in the northern and western areas.

With advanced computerized remote sensing technology, Chinese geographers specified land resources nationwide as well as pointed out new ways for finding mineral deposits.








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