Development of China's "Silicon Valley" Urged

Development of China's "Silicon Valley" Urged

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Chinese Vice Premier Li Lanqing has said that the construction of the Zhongguancun High-Tech Zone, known as China's "Silicon Valley", should be accelerated.

On an inspection tour on the zone in northwest Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, Li said that the building of the zone will give a welcome boost to China's entry into the WTO and Beijing's hosting of the Olympic Games.

He noted that China is undergoing the reorganization of its economic structure, and special attention should be paid to high- technology in this respect.

The zone signifies that China has met the development requirements of the advanced productive forces, he added.

The vice premier urged that the nation should get more intellectual property rights of its own in some key technologies.

He pointed out that renovation should be encouraged in the zone. The software industry should be an important sector of the zone, and it will have a big share on the market, he said.

In addition, the zone should attract more experts from across the country and abroad by taking advantage of preferential policies.

He urged that reform be adopted in management, and the operational system in the zone.

Accompanying Li during the inspection tour were Jia Qinglin, secretary of Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Liu Qi, mayor of Beijing.