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

Enhanced S&T Strength

A national showcase to display major S&T accomplishments achieved in the 10th Five-year period(2001-2005) was staged September 18-27, 2005 in Beijing. Under a theme slogan “new century, new S&T, and new accomplishments”, the show offered a space floor of 7800m² to house the displays in forms of posters, multimedia, and objects. The show presents a line of major S&T accomplishments achieved in the 10th five-year period. They have rendered a forceful support for and a great contribution to the national economic and social development.

The 10th Five-year plan is the first five-year planning effort made in the new century. Under a clearly defined guideline of “innovation and commercial applications”, the plan requires a substantive readjustment of the general thinking line to guide the S&T development in the country, in an attempt to keep abreast with the new economic and S&T developments in the world. The plan made new strategic deployments for industrial technology upgrading, and for enhancing the sustainable S&T innovation capacity, guiding S&T activities to head for new progresses. 

Noticeable achievements have been made in the course of establishing a national and regional innovation system, which brought up more S&T innovations. In the area of S&T system restructuring, research institutes have witnessed great changes in management and operation modalities. Universities have become a strong force in S&T innovations. China’s S&T innovation infrastructures are developing soundly with an ever increasingly improved S&T service system.

China’s climate for S&T development has been remarkably improved. In addition to securing a grand S&T personnel contingent, China has impressively increased its investment in R&D activities, from RMB 89.6 billion in 2000 to RMB 184.3 billion in 2004, with a lifted weight in GDP from 1% to 1.35%.

By taking full advantage of the global S&T resources, China’s international cooperation in S&T has embarked on a new stage, harvested rich results in being part of international research and large science projects, including the Galileo Project, and the international human genome project. China plays an important role in diverse international affairs, including global environment, population, resources, and sustainable development, which safeguards the interests of developing countries and erects a good image in the international community.

China’s comprehensive national strength has been remarkably enhanced since the 10th Five-year period. The greatly lifted proprietary innovation capacity and a line of important innovative findings achieved have advanced China’s competitiveness in the world, from 30^th place in 2000 to 24^th in 2004. China’s overall S&T strength foreruns the developing countries, with its capability in some major or key areas approaching or reaching an internationally advanced level. China’s S&T development enters one of the best heydays in history. 

Energy Efficient Cars in Focus

During the 11th Five-year period, China will intensify its R&D efforts to produce key technologies for hybrid, fuel battery, pure electric, and proxy fuel vehicles. The efforts will also lead to the establishment of a vehicle evaluation platform, and spur up the establishment of a standard system, facilitating commercial applications of energy efficient and environment friendly vehicles.

Started from 1999, the Ministry of Science and Technology, State Environmental Protection Administration, and State Development and Reform Commission have jointly worked on a clean auto action, in an effort to raise the energy efficiency of traditional internal combustion vehicles, and facilitate the development of clean automobiles, said CHEN Jiachang, a director of the Department of High Technology Development and Industrialization, a part of the Ministry of Science and Technology, at an international forum on China’s auto development held on September 27, 2005. In 2001, China established a number of special projects to work on electric vehicles and key technologies for multi-energy oriented driving systems, which spurred up the development of energy efficient vehicles. The implementation of electric automobile projects has produced some 200,000 natural gas burning vehicles and over 700 natural gas filling stations in the country.

CHEN added that at the end of the year China will make the debut of two to three more proprietary hybrid passenger car models, and four to five hybrid sedan car models. It is expected that during the 11th five-year period, China will put proprietary energy efficient and environment friendly cars into massive production, and hybrid cars will see a noticeable growth in the future 5 years. China will gradually upgrade its auto technologies and the industry as well, in an attempt to enhance China’s core competitiveness in the area.

China-South Africa S&T Cooperation

Pursuant to a cooperation agreement signed at the second session of the joint S&T cooperation committee between the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and South Africa Ministry of Science and Technology, China-South Africa Forum on S&T Cooperation, co-sponsored by the two ministries, was held on September 19, 2005 in Beijing. Under a theme of “S&T cooperation for common development”, the meeting is designed to establish a high level platform for facilitating S&T cooperation between the two nations, and for speeding up the exchanges in the areas of information, resources, and education. The forum also advocates for cooperation activities at bilateral and multilateral levels, and cooperation between non-governmental organizations and government agencies, in an attempt to keep a sustainable S&T cooperation between the two nations. Some 20 representatives spoke at the meeting, covering S&T cooperation planning, transport, pharmaceuticals, nanomaterials, machinery, information, and telecommunication.

Mosibudi Mangena, South Africa Minister of Science and Technology, LIU Yanhua, Chinese Vice-Minister of Science and Technology, and FANG Xiangming, Vice-President of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation were present and addressed the audiences. More than 100 representative from the South Africa Embassy in Beijing, South Africa’s industrial, agricultural, and medical sectors, heads of branches and research institutes under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, local S&T authorities, National Natural Science Foundation attended the meeting.  

China-France Joint Doctorate Fellowship

The Chinese and French governments have recently launched a joint fellowship program for doctorate students, in a move to forge a close and long lasting relationship between the two nations in the field of science and technology. The initiative makes the cooperation disciplines that have been defined by the two governments as the priorities fields to be financed. They include biology and biotechnology, medical science, environment, material science, mathematics, information science, agronomy, telecommunication, electronics, aeronautics and space, chemistry, energy, earth science, and cosmology. 

The fellowship recipient can pursue a study either for a Chinese doctorate, or a French doctorate, or a dual doctorate jointly issued by both Chinese and French authorities. Under the initiative, the fellowship recipient will be trained in both China and France on a rotational basis, with a joint tutorship for their doctorate thesis.

One can consult the following websites for more information on qualification requirements, application procedures, financing, and actions needed:

http://www.ambafrance-cn.org/（Chinese）

http://www.ambafrance-cn.org/（French）

Intelligent Mechanical Hand

for Recuperation Training

Under the financing of National Natural Science Foundation, study of mechanical hand able to restore hand and finger movement, a project contracted to both the Harbin Institute of Technology and No. 4 Hospital affiliated to the Harbin Medical University, has come up with an intelligent mechanical hand able to help patients to restore their hand functions. Based on EMB and CMP theories and kinematic and dynamic analysis, scientists developed the intelligent mechanical hand, simulating the movement of human hand and fingers.

Programmed in modules, the intelligent mechanical hand is made up of three human-finger-like fingers. Each finger operates under a finger controlling module, and a muscle controlling module. The finger module helps injured finger joints to move, using plane and spatial shank mechanisms. The muscle module drives the finger, using a driver, and a line of mechanisms for navigation, stress, and supporting functions. In training, the patient, who wears the intelligent mechanical hand glove, moves his or her fingers in a consecutive but passive manner, under the command issued by a recuperation expert. The assisted training can accelerate the healing and regeneration of the injured joint cartilage and surrounding muscles and ligaments, and gradually restore the functionality of injured fingers.

The mechanical hand collects stress data in the training, which can be used to assess clinical recuperation results on a quantitative basis. The data collected can also serve as the basic data for future clinical recuperation studies.

High Performance Anti-bacteria Materials

High performance composite inorganic anti-bacteria materials, a project financed by the new materials component under the National 863 Program, has achieved the following major accomplishments:

1)    Successfully developed a range of composite inorganic anti-bacteria materials with high temperature endurance, and found solutions to addressing poor high temperature endurance and easy color change that frequently found in the ceramic products made of inorganic anti-bacteria materials. The products present a line of indicators better than the best international level in silver ion volume, bacteria resistance, high temperature endurance, and safety. The novel material can be used to make anti-bacteria ceramic products for construction, daily, and sanitation applications.

2)    Worked out a stable transparent Ti02 sol made of titanium, with a grain diameter less than 20 nm and Ag+ ≤ 0.5%. Capable to destroy 99.9% of the Escherichia coli, the sol can be widely used on plastic, wooden, ceramic, and glass surfaces, with anti-bacteria and optical catalyzing functions for decomposing organic pollutants and hazardous gases.

3）Rolled out visible light composite anti-bacteria materials with optical catalyzing functions. The Ti02 composite optical catalyzing powder has a spectrum absorbing value of 520nm, showing a fine capability to decompose formaldehyde, benzene, and toluene under visible lights. The product also produces a fine anti-bacteria effect in darkness. By overcoming the serious shortcoming only allowing ultraviolet catalyzing, the new product can be extensively used to decompose, purify, and kill bacteria indoor or in the places where there is no ultraviolet ray.

Proprietary Supersonic Bone Knife

China’s first supersonic bone knife, developed by Tsinghua University, was recently put into operation at the Xinqiao Hospital affiliated to the No. 3 Military Medical School. A hard bone can be instantly reduced to a light ray of smoke under the attack of highly focused supersonic waves, using a wire-thick knife tip to touch the target bone. The operation lefts no damages to the surrounding nerves and blood vessels.

According to a briefing, the knife can converse electric energy into a mechanic one through a special conversion unit. Using highly focused supersonic waves, the knife can vaporize the tissues or cells it touches, or break up protein hydrogen links, so as to thoroughly destroy the target bone tissues. The knife tip produces a temperature lower than 80℃ in operation, with an influence range less than 5 micrometers. Designed for the bone tissues with a specific hardness, the supersonic waves cause no damages to blood vessels or nerve tissues, but rather suppress blood flows at the wounds. It reduces the wound size, while greatly raising the accuracy, reliability, and safety of operation. The bone knife can be used in operations that need to cut bones, including spiral column repairing, brain opening, and bone repairing.

Rail Information System

A project to develop an information system for rail transport, jointly undertaken by the Beijing Jiaotong University, China Academy of Railway Science, Southwest Jiaotong University, and the Information Technology Center affiliated to the Ministry of Railways, passed a verification check on September 28, 2005.

Aiming at developing core information technologies for organizing, managing, and directing rail transport activities, the project works on 6 major information systems, covering rail transport, management, e-commerce, geographic information system, and automatic control and decision making for passenger car operations. The project also resulted in a range of supporting mechanisms, including a rail information sharing platform, standards for rail information process, an automatic operation control system, and an e-commerce oriented marketing system. Based on the actual applications of rail information system, it rolled out a basket of information solutions for China’s rail transport general planning, operation dispatching, e-commerce, geographic information system, operation control, and decision making support.

In addition, researchers developed some 20 application systems, covering rail transport dispatching, freight bill management, container transport, passenger car operation charts, and e-marketing management. These efforts have made rail information and data sharing possible, and noticeably raised the efficiency of rail operations, management, and decision making process.

The findings derived from the project have found applications in the nation’s rail transport activities, and the associated management and decision making process, provided convenient and reliable means for increasing revenues and freight marketing. As a powerful support for the rail transport decision making process, the project has produced fine economic and social returns.

Traditional Drugs Works on Cancers

A recently held international conference on the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine has attracted the participation of some 3000 representatives from 43 countries or regions. Prof. LIN Hongsheng of Guang’anmen Hospital under the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine told reporters that a study jointly made by eight grade-3 hospitals show that the mid-phase lung cancer patients’ life can be noticeably extended using traditional medical means. In addition, traditional Chinese medicine is able to prevent the spread of cancers after operation, and makes a noticeable improvement of patients’ life quality. Prof. LIU Luming with the Tumor Hospital of Fudan University said traditional Chinese medicine could remarkably prolong the life of pancreas cancer patients. For example, a pancreas cancer patient usually can survive for one year or so. Treating with traditional Chinese medicines, the longest survival a pancreas cancer patient can have is 38 months. 

Prof. LIN Zhibin of Peking University, also a participant of the event, introduced the latest development in treating cancers with Lucidum. LIN  told audience that Lucidum elements could suppress cancerous cells, though they cannot directly kill them. Further studies also show that once into human body, Lucidum extracts and amylose can activate cellular factors and interferon to suppress tumors, playing a role inhibiting cancerous cells’ reproduction, and speeding up their withering.

According to a briefing, treating cancers with traditional Chinese medicines has gone beyond the research only stage, and come out with some products. For example, the Department of Medicine, a part of Peking University, and Greenvalley Group have established a joint Lucidum Lab, from which a drug called Shuanglingubensan was produced. As the first clinical Lucidum drug used in cancer treatment, the new drug has been approved by the US FDA for clinical trials.

       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