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N0.410

 

 

CHINA  SCIENCE  AND  TECHNOLOGY
NEWSLETTER
The Ministry of Science and Technology
People's Republic of China

N0.410

July 30,2005

 

 

 

 

 
IN THIS ISSUE


 

* S&T Infrastructures Accelerated

* Loans to Small and Medium Enterprises

* World Congress on Intelligent Transport System

* China’s MES Forum for 2005

* Enhanced Quality Control System


 

SPECIAL ISSUES

S&T Infrastructures Accelerated

Not long ago, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, State Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Education jointly issued “Comments on Construction of National S&T Infrastructure Platforms in the 11th Five-Year Period(2006-2010)”, in a move to provide effective support for S&T advancement and proprietary innovations in the country. 

According to the document, China will, by 2010, work out policies, regulations, and standards to match the construction and management of the platforms that will become the core system and framework for resources sharing. China will also establish major S&T resources information platforms, allowing the public to share the rich resources. A regional large scientific instruments coordinating network will be established and perfected, in an effort to promote the efficient utilization of nationwide instrument and facility resources. China will establish a number of large S&T infrastructures, and consolidate and optimize the existing key laboratories, in a move to form up national research and experiment bases. In addition, scientific data sharing platform will be constructed to accommodate the needs of dozens of fields, including resources and environment for observation data, survey data, and scientific data. The effort will make 50% of major international S&T journals available on online platforms. The purported real-time service system will be extended to the county and township level.  Great enhancement will be seen in preserving and utilizing natural S&T resources, including crops, forests, and microbes. A unified nationwide S&T findings and technology trade platform will be established, along with several common technology service platforms dedicated to energy, materials, and manufacturing. These platforms will provide technology support for the innovations and development of national mainstay industries.

In addition, the “Comments” has come up with concrete requirements, including formulating a management mode and system, introducing the regulated governance in the entire process of platform construction and operation, establishing an accomplishment based incentive system, posting public notifications for platform projects and associated operation, and strengthening monitoring and management. 

Loans to Small and Medium Enterprises

The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and China Development Bank (CDB) have recently intensified their cooperation, in an attempt to facilitate fund raising efforts of small and medium-sized S&T enterprises. The efforts are made to explore new fund raising modes for these enterprises, enhance the support for their fund raising, and establish a credit system for them.

On April 2005, MOST and CDB jointly issued a circular to further promote fund raising activities for small and medium-sized S&T enterprises. The initiatives have received positive response of CDB’s local branches as well as from local S&T authorities. To implement the Circular, the Torch Center, part of the Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Assets Restructuring Bureau affiliated to the China Development Bank, is preparing to hold a working seminar on fund raising activities for small and medium-sized S&T enterprises. The Center is also working on a guide for creating a loan platform for these enterprises.

Since June 2004, MOST and CDB have sown experimental seeds in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, and Chongqing, in an extended effort to help small and medium-sized enterprises to obtain loans.  Statistics show that during the period of January-June 2005, the China Development Bank has secured a loan amounting to RMB 420 million for small and medium-sized S&T enterprises in national high tech parks, and in four pilot cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Xi’an. The efforts have been made to support 15 national high tech parks in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Shenyang, Taiyuan, Baotou, Changchun, Daqing, Weihai, Yantai, Weifang, Luoyang, and Dalian.

On March 2005, the Torch Center made a survey to the DENGLING Program of the Zhongguancun High Tech Park, and the credit system of the existing fund raising platforms. Based on the survey results, the Center plans to run a pilot project in 2 to 3 qualified national high tech parks, in an attempt to promote the establishment of a credit system for small and medium-sized S&T enterprises, and play its key roles in securing loans for these enterprises. 

To further cooperation, MOST and CDB have decided to hold a working seminar on fund raising for small and medium-sized S&T enterprises, so as to facilitate high tech parks to accommodate credit needs of these enterprises on an extended basis.  

World Congress on Intelligent Transport System

The first plenary meeting of the 14th World Congress on Intelligent Transport System was recently convened at the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology in Beijing. Some 30 participants, including MA Songde, Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the event, and Vice Minister of Science and Technology, JI Lin, Deputy Mayor of the Beijing Municipality, and representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Construction, and Beijing Municipality, attended the meeting.

At the meeting, an organizing Committee and an administrative office was officially established for the event that will be held in 2007. Participants discussed numerous involving issues, including timing, venues, congress logos and slogans, in addition to laying out division of work and terms of reference for the implementing institutions. The Beijing Municipal Government will run the details of organizing the event. MA said the meeting is held to enhance public awareness of intelligent transport system, and raise the S&T capacity of China’s transport system. He hoped that the event would spur up the development of intelligent transport industry in China, and the show should be staged with innovative thinking. The accomplishments made by China in intelligent transport will be highlighted at the meeting, demonstrating simulated results of an intelligent transport system in Beijing and a real-time display of intelligent transport system in the city. MA has thought positively of the preparations so far made, and thanked the strong support and coordination offered by the authorities concerned. He wished the organizing team to continue to do a good job, ensuring a complete success of the event in 2007.

The plenary meeting marks an official start to prepare for the world intelligent transport event to be opened in 2007. It will spur up the fast development of China’s intelligent transport technology and applications.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

China’s MES Forum for 2005

Jointly sponsored by the High-Tech Center affiliated to the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the expert panel for integrated modern manufacturing system, a part of the National 863 Program, a forum on MES industry and associated technology was held on July 23, 2005 in Beijing. More than 200 experts, scholars, and engineers from industrial associations, large enterprises, research institutes, and universities attended the event. FENG Jichun, director of the Department of High Technology, part of the Ministry of Science and Technology, made an opening speech at the scene. Domestically renowned figures, including CAI Tianyou, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Prof. ZHU Jian presented keynote speeches on development demands, current status, and future trends of MES technology, products, and applications both at home and abroad. The research institutes that work on iron-steel and petrochemical issues under the National 863 Program, presented their research and application findings. Representatives from Siemens, HP, IBM, Echelon, and Broner Metals also shared their technologies and experiences in MES research and applications.

Integrated modern manufacturing technology, a major research topic under the National 863 Program in the 10th five-year period, provides guidance and support for MES related studies, development, applications, and demonstration, in an effort to improve the information facet of the process industries. Shanghai based Baosight Software and PCITC, in collaboration with other research institutes of domestic strength, have rolled out MES products comparable with their advanced overseas counterparts. The successful application of these products in some ten enterprises, including BAO Steel, and SINOPEC, has harvested remarkable economic returns. For instance, a 700,000-ton stainless steel production line in Bao Steel expects to reach the designed output target in three years. With the help of a MEC-cored automation system, the same target is reached only in 11 months. The technology has made the simultaneous construction of an automation system along with a project possible. Starting from day one, the operation schedule is delivered by the computer system.

Enhanced Quality Control System

A research project to develop key quality control processes and an associated information system, undertaken by Xi’an Jiaotong University and Institute of Software under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has recently passed the verification check. The research team studied a range of quality control processes in the entire life cycle of a product, including quality control models supporting fast virtual manufacturing, and multiple dimension based quality control. The project also produced process coordination and management techniques, in a move to support dynamic combination of different production processes. Applying advanced processes in life cycle quality control, researchers established a quality control framework and an associated operation mechanism. In addition, some other related technologies are derived from the project, including the proprietary quality control platform and tool sets built upon clients’ demands, and a B/S technology based full quality control system designed for life cycle quality control, with an ISO9000 certification.

The said quality control system and associated tool sets provide a full range of technical support for enterprises, covering clients’ demands, product design, manufacturing, and applications. The new processes have been used to enhance the quality control capacity of target enterprises, including Xi’an Institute of Wireless Technology, Xi’an Aerodynamics Control Co. Ltd., and Beijing Zhuanglian Electronic Engineering Co. Ltd.. With more possibilities opened for quality management, the integrated quality control system has achieved fine results. The new system is currently tested in a number of fields, including space and aviation, digital programmed machine tools, and electronics manufacturing.

Test Kit for Streptococcus Suis

Since the outbreak of the SARS epidemics in 2003, China has worked to raise its technical capability in dealing with emergent public health events, through enhancing its technical reserves, to cope with possible new infectious diseases. The study of new infectious diseases, a project initiated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, has made a well-advanced deployment for the prevention and control of new infectious diseases. The project screens, tests, and identifies pathogens, striving to prevent emerging infectious diseases, including bird flu, Ebola viruses, and west Nile viruses. Researchers also study the natural distributions of new infectious diseases, transmission means, and clinical treatment. Fast detecting the streptococcus suis is part of the ongoing efforts.

The lab test on the test kit has been completed, and the test results will be submitted to the national authorities concerned for further verification. The test kit is of a fine specificity and sensitivity, desirable for quick diagnosis of the streptococcus suis and associated epidemics investigation. It makes a most mature product for quick screening of the streptococcus suis.

Researchers have recently verified the test kit on 58 human blood specimens and 52 pork specimens in Sichuan Province, where the streptococcus suis is found transmitted to humans. Test results show fine specificity and sensitivity in fast and accurate diagnosis of the diseased patients and pigs.

Active Combating Computer Viruses

LIU XU, a domestic leader in combating computer viruses, and his team, has successfully worked out a program able to fend off possible computer viruses in advance. The software, independently developed by Chinese researchers, is the first of its kind in the world to actively fend off computer viruses from the grassroots level.

Starting from last year, LIU Xu began to think about an active defense system combating computer viruses. Using a program behavior self-analyzing and judging system, and widely acknowledged computer viruses definitions, LIU rolled out five core technologies, including a dynamic simulation system for combating computer viruses, an automatic accuracy viruses sorting system, a program behavior monitoring system, a multi-tiered protection system able to screen out the features of viruses, and a visual display and monitor system. All these technologies are built on experts’ analysis of program behavior, logics that judges program natures, and simulated experts’ judgment of viruses.

NEWS BRIEFS

China’s Unmanned Remote Sensing Aircraft

Peking University and Guizhou Aviation Industry (Group) have rolled out an unmanned multi-function remote sensing system, designed with integration, intelligence, and high resolution space data acquisition technologies.  The unmanned aircraft has recently made a successful trial flight, with its reliability, flying altitudes, smoothness, navigational accuracy, and manufacturing costs reaching an application level. The development marks China’s world advanced position in unmanned ground observation aircraft.

In recent years, Peking University has forged extensive cooperation with Guizhou Aviation Industry, and achieved important progresses in improving the sensitivity of on-board sensing equipment, image identification and processing capability, and associated resolution, and in reducing the size of on-board equipment.

Artificial Lightening Diversion

Recently, experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences have made a special experiment in Shandong, which coaxed thunderstorm from air to ground, using a small rocket. According to a briefing, only a few countries in the world, including France, the United States, Japan, Brazil, and China, have mastered the artificial lightening diversion technology. The lightening artificially diverted can produce certain impacts on the electric field of thunderstorms and cloud physics. As a result, it can be used as an effective means in staging weather modification activities. The experiment raises China’s lightening study and associated pre-warning to a higher level, and provides scientific evidences for establishing a proprietary lightening protection system.

More New Plant Varieties Applications

 

The latest statistics show that during the period from June 16, 1999 to May 20, 2005, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture has issued 6 protection lists for new plant varieties in 62 genres.  As of June 2005 starting from 2002, China has registered 1800 plant breeder’s rights, with an average annual growth of 30%, or equal to the combined sum of new plant varieties or mixes bred and diffused in 1979-2001. The development makes China fourth place in terms of applications for plant breeder’s rights at the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).


       Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:

Mr. Mao Zhongying, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China  Tel: (8610)58881360 Fax: (8610) 58881364

http://www.most.gov.cn