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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION |
China-Brazil Resources Satellite Launched
At 11:16 a.m. Beijing time. October 21, 2003, both the second Resources I satellite jointly developed by China and Brazil and Innovation I, a mini satellite were sent by CZ-4B carrier rocket into the prescribed orbits at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
It is reported that Resources I satellite was contracted to China satellite launch and control system for its launch and control. As shown by the data transmitted from the Xi’an Satellite Control Center, the second Resources I satellite went smoothly into the sunsynchronous orbit 13 minutes after its launch and Innovation I was separated from the rocket and into the prescribed orbit 40 seconds after.
The second Resources I satellite will be used to monitor national land resources, measuring the area of arable land, and estimating forest volume, crop growth and yields, and pasture volume and yearly changes. The new satellite also has the missions to monitor natural and man-made disasters, quick checking the damages caused by floods, earthquakes, winds and sands. In the meanwhile, the satellite will provide dynamic information on the economic development of coastal areas, offshore economic utilization, aquatic breeding and environmental pollution. It is also designed with the of investigating the underground resources, mapping the reserves of gold, oil, coal and building materials, and monitoring the rational utilization of resources.
Innovation I, another onboard payload for the same launch developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences is a mini satellite under 100 kg. The baby satellite is made of a number of sub-systems such as telecommunication transponders, satellite based computer, attitude control, energy, thermal control and structures. The mini satellite can play an important role in data transmission for traffic monitoring, environmental protection, oil and gas transmission, flood and drought prevention, forest fire and earthquake monitoring.
New Orientation for Public Institutions
Under the joint sponsorship of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Finance, the International Seminar on the Reform of China’s Public S&T Institutions and Construction of Non-profit Organization was held October 23-24, 2003 in Beijing. Under the support of UNDP, the high level international event makes the first attempt in the country to gather together the governmental agencies, officials, policy makers and scholars both from home and abroad to discuss the reform of public institutions and development of non-profit organizations.
The participants reviewed and discussed the practices and policies concerning the reform of public institutions and the development of non-profit organizations, shared with the overseas participants the experience in managing national or public institutions and associated funding system, exchanged the views on the management of China’s public institutions and the development of associated funding system, and discussed the international experience in developing non-profit organizations and relevant legal issues.
The seminar is of important theoretical and application significance to exploring the reform orientations and modes for China’s public institutions, the establishment of funding support and regulatory bodies after the reform, and the future management mode of public institutions, and the development of non-profit organizations.
The scholars and representatives from other countries or international organizations such as US, Japan, Korea, Norway, Czech, Singapore, OECD, World Bank, UNDP were present.
Shenzhen S&T Declaration
The ministers of science and technology from different countries signed the Shenzhen Declaration at the China International High Tech Trade Fair for 2003 to promote the S&T cooperation and exchanges among different countries. The signing ministers were Ma Songde of China, Dr. Mofid M. Shehab of Egypt, Lord Sainsbury of Britain and Andrey S. Koulagin of Russia.
The Declaration states that the S&T ministerial forum held during the Fair has become a permanent part of the high tech trade fair, which is of the positive significance to the mutual benefit based international S&T exchanges and cooperation. In this context, the Declaration proposes that starting from 2003, the S&T ministerial forum shall be held regularly in Shenzhen during the Fair, exploring the worldwide S&T development trend, sharing S&T policies of different countries and promoting the S&T exchanges and cooperation among the countries. It is believed that the forum will become a valuable platform for exchanges among governments, industries, S&T communities and non-governmental organizations.
Started from 1999, the high tech trade fair was held every autumn in Shenzhen, created an arena on which China’s high tech results are shown to the world and opportunities presented before the world to understand China’s high tech development. The fair has become an important window through which the exchanges of world S&T communities and international S&T cooperation get strengthened.
China-UK Science Park
On October 15, 2003, Ma Songde, Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology and Lord Sainsbury, UK Minister of Science and Innovation made their presence at the Ceremony to mark the completed construction of China-UK Science Park held at the British Embassy in Beijing, which announced the official establishment of the first joint park between the two countries.
Physically located in Cambridge, UK, China-UK Science Park is China’s first overseas national S&T park for providing a cooperative platform for researchers, investors and industrial businesses of both countries. The new park will not only be a channel through which Chinese S&T businesses will make their way into UK and Europe, but also be a window through which UK and Europe may have more understanding of China’s S&T and associated industrial development. It will play an important role in further promoting the S&T exchanges and industrial cooperation between the two countries.
On the same day, Mr. Ma and Lord Sainsbury conferred the prizes of 60,000 and 40,000 pounds to Aikesaili Microelectronics and Zhongke Qiancheng S&T Co. Ltd., the Chinese winners of China-UK S&T Industrial Award.
Financed by science and technology authorities of both countries and the UK Department of Trade and Industry, China-UK S&T Industrial Award is established to assist the entrepreneurs to find their innovative plans into commercial applications. The Award Selecting Committee is made of the venture capital figures from both countries. The two governments have made a joint investment of 100,000 pounds in creating the Award. The winners will be financed by the Award to implement their innovative plans. The applicants shall be Chinese citizens and their application projects be high in technology content.
EU-China Galileo Cooperation
On October 27, 2003, the EU Committee published a statement, welcoming the formal approval by the Ministerial Council of the bilateral agreement on the cooperation between China and EU in Galileo satellite navigation project. The statement expressed that the signing of the agreement is well in the interest of both sides and has smoothed the road for China’s future participation in EU’s Galileo Project, ensuring the successful implementation of the project.
The agreement states that the two parties will initiate the cooperation in the fields of satellite navigation technology, industrial manufacturing, service and market development, products standardization and frequency matter. In addition, China will invest EURO 200 million in the Galileo joint venture to acquire its corresponding equity. It is disclosed that the agreement will be inked with the final signature at the China-EU Summit to be held at the end of October 2003.
Galileo project was initiated by EU in 1999 for the purpose of establishing a global satellite positioning navigation system. With an investment budget as huge as EURO 3.2 billion, the system is made of 27 in-orbit satellites and 3 back-up ones for the global coverage and is scheduled to be put into operation in 2008.
China-Dutch Yellow River monitoring
China Yellow River Commission announced on October 23, 2003 the formal start of China-Dutch cooperation project on establishing satellite based hydraulic monitoring and river flow prediction system for Yellow River basin at the International Forum on Yellow River.
To take full advantage of international advanced technologies and develop the advanced water resources monitoring and predication system, China Yellow River Commission has listed the water resources monitoring system, part of the project of construction of hydraulic and water resources prediction system for the Yellow River original area, an international cooperation initiative between a Dutch company, ERS remote sensing consultancy, and the Institute of International Infrastructures, Water and Environment Engineering. The Project will mainly work on satellite data receiving system, energy balance monitoring system and original water resources monitoring and prediction system, floods prediction system for the section from Sanmenxia to Huayuankou, drought monitoring and prewarning system, and products dissemination system. These systems, upon the completion, will make the satellite based precipitation and evaporation prediction, drought monitoring, original consecutive flow prediction, and flood prediction for the section from Sanmenxia to Huayuankou possible. The system, once expanded with other functions, may also be used to make the space based monitoring of water reservoirs, desertification, forests, vegetation and soil moisture.
Chinese winner for Young Scientist Prize
On October 23, 2003, the US based journal Science and Amersham Biosciences jointly announced the winner of Young Scientist Prize in the year. Mr. Wang Lei, a 31-year-old Chinese scientist who worked in the US became the winner of the Prize for his achievements made in the study of the life’s genetic blueprint.
Proteins make the matter base for all biological species, and the natural proteins in all life forms are made of nothing but 20 kinds of amino acids. Mr. Wang raised an interesting question in his post-doctoral research: why all life forms use the same 20 amino acids to build proteins? Why not more than 20? Mr. Wang eventually found the solution to adding extra amino acids in the natural proteins of living cells.
Mr. Wang has in recent years published a dozen of papers in renowned academic journals such as Science, National Scientific Academy Journal and Journal of American Chemical Society. Mr. Wang possessed 5 patents and was granted with student inventor top prize in 2002.
China Launched 18th Retrievable Satellite
At 15:20 Beijing time, November 3, 2003, CZ-2 D carrier rocket sent a retrievable S&T experimental satellite into the orbit from Jiuquan Satellite Launching Center. The satellite will travel in the space for 18 days, mainly working on series experiments relating to scientific research, land survey and mapping. Xi’an Satellite Control Center has confirmed that the satellite has entered the prescribed orbit as scheduled under a fine operation state with all onboard instruments working properly. The Center will continue to track, measure and control its orbital flight and have it recovered when time is up.
The launch was made at the Center’s new satellite launching pad. With a height of 91 meters and structured with steel reinforced concrete, the new launching pad designed by the Beijing Institute of Special Project Design has integrated the processes from satellite and rocket loading to connecting, testing, fuel injection and launch. The ground testing and control system is assembled under unified standards and phased processes, accommodating the common needs of different carrier rockets and greatly improved the efficiency and economic value of the launching pad.
China’s First Nanotown
It is disclosed at the China Qidong S&T Festival and International Trade Fair that Taiyuan Electronics Industrial Park, China’s first nanometer S&T industrial park had registered its presence in Qidong October 21, 2003. The Festival witnessed the kick-off of the construction of 8 large S&T parks and 250 new projects under a total investment budget of RMB 4.3 billion.
So far Taiyuan Electronics Park has made an investment of USD 40 million in total. With 30 and more industrial businesses stationed in it, the Park will introduce the latest nanometer production facilities and technologies from Japan and Taiwan to manufacture software, PCD of industrial applications and high accuracy CNC grinding tools. The Park is expecting an annual sale exceeding RMB 1.5 billion and earning and taxes RMB 300 million.
Silk Artificial Skin
Under the concerted efforts of the researchers of Suzhou University and Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai No. 2 Medical University, the silk protein based artificial skin called a success and passed its verification check recently.
Being a project under the national 863 program, the silk protein based artificial skin is made of natural silkworm protein, possessing fine biological compatibility and desirable for deep burn treatment. The proprietary result has got protected under a number of national invention patents.
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