March 2011

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION HIGHLIGHTS IN CHINA 1

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IN THIS ISSUE

EDITORIAL ...... 1

POLICIES ...... 1 THE 12 TH FIVE -YEAR PLAN FOR THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (2011-2015)...... 1 NPC adopts 12th Five-Year Plan...... 1 The Outline of the 12 th five-year plan for national economic and social development / Part VII on S&T...... 1 Minister of S&T presenting the 12th five-year plan for S&T development...... 1 S&T Supports Five Major Areas in New 5-Year Plan ...... 2 Report on China's economic, social development plan...... 2 Report on China's central, local budgets (2011)...... 3 IMPROVED IPR PROTECTION ...... 3 SICHUAN AIMS TO PLUG IN TO IT OPPORTUNITIES...... 4 MACAO GRANTS $8.6 M FOR R&D IN 2010 ...... 4 CHINA ALLOCATES 2.24 B YUAN TO AID NEEDY STUDENTS ...... 4 MOST PUBLICIZED MAJOR S&T FINDINGS ...... 4 CHINA ANNOUNCED NEW ENVIRONMENTAL TARGET ...... 5 CHINA SURGES IN SCIENCE ; MAY PASS U.S...... 5 CHINESE VP STRESSES DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIC EMERGING INDUSTRIES ...... 5 VOICES AND OPINIONS...... 5 TOP LEGISLATOR URGES UNIVERSITIES TO BOOST INNOVATION ...... 5 EXPERTS URGE REFORM OF SCIENCE GRANTS ...... 6 PEOPLE INVITED TO SHARE THEIR CLIMATE CHANGE IDEAS ...... 6 NATIONAL STANDARD TO HELP CLEAN UP COASTAL POLLUTION ...... 6 NATION 'S TALENT POOL LACKS A GLOBAL MINDSET ...... 7 OPENNESS PLEDGED IN R&D FUNDING ...... 7 PEOPLE OF THE MONTH...... 8

1 Disclaimer:

Research and Innovation Highlights in China is a monthly press review compiled by the Science, Technology and Environment Section of the EU Delegation to China with the aim to feature the highlights on China's research and innovation developments. The EU Delegation to China cannot authorise the reproduction of news items taken from other publications. Anyone wishing to reproduce articles is advised to contact the originating source of the relevant news item.

The information contained in this publication is intended only for the internal consumption of the addressees on the distribution list. It should not be taken in any way to reflect the views of the European Commission, nor is the EU Delegation to China responsible for the authenticity of the selected content.

BAI CHUNLI , PRESIDENT OF THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (CAS) ...... 8 CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES HAS BIG PLANS FOR NATION 'S RESEARCH ...... 8 CAS PRESIDENT BAI CHUNLI ANSWERS SCIENCE 'S QUESTIONS ON INNOVATION ...... 10 SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES ...... 10 HEALTH ...... 10 Parkinson's Treatment Device ...... 10 New Approach for Pluripotent Stem Cells ...... 11 Scientists get step closer to HIV vaccine...... 11 Defected Maternal Mitochondria Makes Hypertension ...... 11 New Antibody for Rabies Virus ...... 11 FOOD , AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES , BIOTECHNOLOGY ...... 12 Ginseng Genome Mapped...... 12 Chinese scientists publicize first genome map of rare, highly-valued herb ...... 12 GM 'human' milk predicted to be on shelf...... 12 Chinese scientists publicize first genome map of rare, highly-valued herb ...... 12 Xi'an Jiaotong University Collaborates with Nestle ...... 13 First Medicinal Flower Sequenced ...... 13 Plant LED Technology...... 13 Growing Salt Tolerant Plants in Deserts ...... 13 World's First Grouper Genome Map ...... 13 China Part of Largest Microbial Genome Project...... 14 Institut Pasteur Shanghai Announces the Creation of its Global Biotech Accelerator Advance BioChina...... 14 Joint CSIRO-China Research on Food Security ...... 14 BioMérieux and the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences Partner to Develop Innovative Diagnostic Tests for Food Safety...... 14 Earliest Angiosperms Eudicots Found in China ...... 15 Chinese Scientists Found Main Cause of Low NT Rate ...... 15 INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES ...... 15 "Chinese Core” on the Way for Local Supercomputer ...... 15 Home Made Chips for Supercomputer...... 16 Chinese Made Terminal Operating System...... 16 Chinese Made Small Robot Plane...... 16 High Quality 3D Video Conversion Chip...... 17 NANOSCIENCES , NANOTECHNOLOGIES , MATERIALS AND NEW PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES ...... 17 Green Manufacturing of Biodegradable PLA Bead Foams ...... 17 Out of the Blue - A New Phosphor for Flat Screen Displays ...... 17 Project hopes to pen new story on innovation ...... 18 Construction Begins on Steel Mill Off-Gases to LanzaTech Ethanol Demo Plant ...... 18 200m Underwater Welding ...... 18 ENVIRONMENT (INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE ) ...... 18 EU unveils low-carbon roadmap by 2050...... 18 Lancaster Launches International Masters Programme with Chinese Academy of Sciences...... 19 Integrated Forest Resources Monitoring System ...... 19 China should boost marine economy ...... 19 Warning sounded for aquatic diversity ...... 20 China’s First Voluntary Carbon Reduction Transaction...... 20 ENERGY ...... 20 China not to change nuclear power plans...... 20 China suspends approvals for new nuclear plants...... 20 Harvesting Energy from Soft Drinks...... 21 Kickoff Meeting for A3 Foresight Program held in China...... 21 China to standardize overheated wind farm construction with new rules ...... 21 TRANSPORT (INCLUDING AERONAUTICS )...... 22 China Likely to Further Push Aero Engine Development: Chief Engineer ...... 22 High-speed rail cuts into airlines' success ...... 22 New energy sector eyeing development due to aviation carbon tax...... 22 China steps up railway industry reform...... 23 China opens more low-altitude airspace...... 23 SOCIOECONOMIC SCIENCES AND THE HUMANITIES ...... 23 China's development 'not a model': Wen...... 23 Labor crunch 'structural problem’...... 23 Country ramps up healthcare spending ...... 24 2 Regional officials considering changes to population policy...... 24 Social discrimination against undertakers still prevalent: green book...... 24 SPACE ...... 25 7 weather satellites set to launch by 2015...... 25 China and ESAC Exchange Experience on Satellite Instrument Calibration and Science Operations ...... 25 Spatial Information Technology...... 25 Hopes are high for domestic GPS system ...... 25 Second satellite system now under construction ...... 26 China and ESAC Exchange Experience on Satellite Instrument Calibration and Science Operations ...... 26 EU wants better space cooperation with China...... 26 China maps the world ...... 26 China launches 8th satellite for global navigation ...... 27 PEOPLE ...... 27 A new approach brings China and EU closer...... 27 Peking University's plan stirs questions...... 27 Talent Pool at Zhongguancun...... 28 China Needs More Nuclear Fusion Talents...... 28 Returned Students Supported for Business...... 28 Young Scientific Researchers Tend to Job-Hop ...... 29 China's Higher Education Students Exceed 30 Million ...... 29 China to attract more overseas talents...... 30 RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES ...... 30 Huge telescope on the agenda...... 30 China pours billion into rainmaking...... 30 Sea floor observatories to give quake warnings...... 30

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EDITORIAL

Dear colleagues,

The European Commission adopted on 9 February, a Green Paper 'From Challenges to Opportunities: Towards a Common Strategic Framework for EU research and innovation funding' (COM(2011)48), which launched a public consultation on the key issues to be taken into account for future EU research and innovation funding programmes. Input is sought from all stakeholders, in particular interested individuals, companies, research institutes and citizens. In this context, the EU Delegation in Beijing launched a series of awareness-raising activities to encourage input from relevant stakeholders in China, such as the focused seminars and meetings with the EU science counsellors, EU Chambers of Commerce based in different locations in China, distribution of information to the main Chinese interlocutors, and a designated link at the Delegation's website EU in China .

On 22 nd March, the 9 th EU-China Joint Steering Committee on S&T Cooperation (JSCST) was held in Brussels immediately after the first Joint Steering Committee of the "Euratom-China Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy" Agreement and the second EU-China dialogue on ICT research. The 9th JSCST Meeting endorsed the functioning of Joint Steering Committee to enhance and better coordinate EU-China S&T co-operation. In particular, the JSCST will be considered as a common "umbrella" for joint initiatives, ensuring the involvement and presence of concerned Directorates Generals on the EU side and Ministries and other co-interested bodies on the Chinese side, through the establishment of ad hoc EU-China thematic task forces to work together on topics of common concern.

In China, March is an important month, in the sense that the country's 12 th Five-Year Plan for the National Economic and Social Development (2011-2015) was adopted at the fourth session of the 11 th National People's Congress (NPC) held from 5 to 14 March. The 12 th five-year period (2011-2015) is described as "crucial to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and critical to deepening the reform and opening up and accelerating the transformation of the economic growth pattern". The theme of "scientific" development and the transformation of the economic growth pattern are clearly stipulated in the five-year plan. For the fulfilment of this target, the development of science and technology and the strengthening of the country's independent innovation capacity are put high on the political agenda as the key for transforming China's economic growth pattern. Increased input in R&D will be committed, with the total R&D input intensity by the end of the 12 th five-year period reaching 2.2% of GDP.

With the supportive measures and instruments put in place to encourage innovation, address existing obstacles and facilitate S&T development and consequent translation of the results, the Plan sets out ambitious goals aiming at achieving major breakthroughs both in the basic and cutting-edge research and in coping with actual needs of the economic and social development. Enterprises are expected to forge themselves as the main player in the national innovation system, while the alliances among enterprises, research institutes and universities will be strongly supported. International S&T collaboration also constituted an important part in the Plan and will be further expanded, as said by China's Minister for Science and Technology, Wan Gang, "international S&T cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefits will be promoted."

In this issue of the Highlights , you will find several news clippings on the five-year plan, in particular the part related to S&T and innovation, with the focus on priority areas, key targets and figures on spending.

While China is pooling its efforts in boosting the science and technology development, its emerging position in the mapping of the global scientific output is also "striking" as described by the study of the Royal Society: China is on pace to overtake the US in scientific output possibly as soon as 2013 (see news in the Policy section). Meanwhile, in an interview of the new President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Bai Chunli with Nature on the issue of China's output of scientific papers vis-à-vis their still-relatively-low impact, the President pointed out that "the evaluation system which is largely based on the number and quality of papers, will shift towards assessing the quality of the innovation, its actual contribution to society and its state of development", which reflected the core concern of the scientific community, the deep-rooted causes, and the orientation in addressing it.

In the People of the Month section of this issue, we would like to present Dr. Bai Chunli, the new President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and his two interviews with Nature and Science , when he talked about the key issues of concern in China's research and innovation domain.

Again, it's always a pleasant experience for us in following with the diversified research activities under different themes in China, and we hope you will enjoy reading the Scientific Activity section in the theme(s) of your interest as we do.

With kind regards,

Philippe Vialatte Head of Science, Technology and Environment Section

2

POLICIES

The 12 th Five-Year Plan for the National Economic and Social Development (2011-2015)

NPC adopts 12th Five-Year Plan

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's parliament, endorsed the country's 12th Five- Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. For China, the 12th Five-Year Plan period is crucial to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and critical to deepening the reform and opening up and accelerating the transformation of the economic growth pattern. The theme of scientific development and the transformation of the economic growth pattern are evident in the freshly approved government work report and the 12th Five- Year Plan. (Further details in source: China.org )

The Outline of the 12 th five-year plan for national economic and social development / Part VII on S&T

Part VII of the Outline of the 12 th five-year plan for national economic and social development "Innovation driven, implementing the strategy of reinvigorating the country through science and education and the strategy of strengthening the country through human resource development" underlined the innovation capacity, reform and development of education, and the talents team. It aims for breakthroughs in major scientific discoveries in particular in physical science, life science, space science, earth sciences and nano science and technology. The development of science and technology is expected to be closely linked with industrial upgrading and improvement of people's livelihood and to be able to meet the demand of social and economic development such as modern agriculture, equipment manufacturing, ecological and environmental protection, energy and resources, information network, new materials, public security and health. In the overall technological innovation system, enterprises are expected to be the main player in terms of investment in R&D, innovation activities and application of results. Strategic innovation alliances amongst enterprises, research institutes and universities are encouraged. It specifically stipulated that Beijing Zhongguancun will be built into an S&T innovation centre of global influence. Supportive measures including those on IPR were included. (Full text in Chinese: Xinhua net )

Minister of S&T presenting the 12th five-year plan for S&T development

On 2 April, the State Council Information Office organised a press conference where Mr. Wan Gang, Minister of Science and Technology, introduced the 12 th five-year plan for science and technology development and answered questions from the press. The priorities and main tasks on S&T in the 12th five year plan: 1) the key for transforming China's economic growth pattern lies in the improvement of independent innovation capacity (during the 11 th five- year period, the total R&D expenditure nearly reached 700 billion yuan, the third in the world; the total R&D input intensity during the 12 th five-year will reach 2.2% of GDP ); 2) S&T shall play a supportive and guiding role in transforming the economic growth pattern (accelerated implementation of the mega S&T programmes and development of strategic emerging industries; basic research and cutting-edge technology research; upgrading conventional industries with high tech; S&T innovation in agriculture and rural areas; improving people's livelihood through S&T); 3) deepen reform of the S&T institutions and foster an environment that encourages innovation (national innovation system; reform of management system for S&T programmes; translation and industrialisation of research results; increased input; talent team; enhanced international collaboration). (Full text in Chinese: central government web )

S&T Supports Five Major Areas in New 5-Year Plan

WAN Gang, Chinese Minister of Science and Technology, said during the 12th Five-year period, China will make science and technology development a strategic priority, with the full-fledged implementation of the tasks defined by the national S&T plan, striving to change the outdated economic development mode using the momentum of science and technology advancement. First , China will accelerate the implementation of major science and technology projects , fostering and developing the emerging industries with strategic importance , making the implementation a major handle to boost the emerging industries with strategic importance, and a starting point to deepen the S&T reform, striving to achieve major landmark accomplishments. Second , China will deploy its basic and cutting edge research activities in a visionary manner, aiming at the cutting edge technologies, mastering the core and key technologies, occupying the strategic high ground, optimizing the distribution of basic research activities, promoting the balanced development of basic disciplines, facilitating interdisciplinary research activities, and supporting emerging cross-disciplinary activities. Third, China will accelerate the transformation of traditional industries using high and new technology. Efforts will be made to promote the information process of manufacturing industry, develop energy-saving and environmental protection industry, and facilitate the transformation of traditional industries and the revitalization of major industries. Efforts will also be made to accelerate the development of creative industries, R&D design and service, modern logistic industry, and knowledge/technology intensive industries . Fourth , China will enhance innovation activities in agriculture and in the rural areas , implementing food yield boosting projects, accelerating the development and diffusion of modern farming technologies featured with high-yield, high quality, efficient, ecologically friendly and safe, and raising the overall capacity of agricultural activities. Efforts will also be made to implement a range of S&T actions, including clean rural communities, rural information process, and S&T envoys, and to establish a novel S&T service system in the rural areas. Fifth , China will build up its capacity to improve people's livelihood , enhancing R&D activities and demonstrations in the areas of population, health, environmental protection, public safety, disaster prevention among others. Efforts will be made to prepare appropriate S&T action plans to deal with global climate change, and to strengthen the study of scientific and technological issues in climate change . (Source: MOST )

Report on China's economic, social development plan

The Report on the Implementation of the 2010 Plan for National Economic and Social Development and on the 2011 Draft Plan for National Economic and Social Development was adopted at the Fourth Session of the 11th National People's Congress on March 14. The Report indicated that in 2010, " China's capacity for independent innovation increased . Progress was made in implementing 16 key science and technology programs, the Program for Basic Research, the High-Tech Program and the National Key Technology R&D Program. Construction on the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology and other major science projects was completed and passed acceptance inspection. The third phase of the Knowledge Innovation Program in the Chinese Academy of Sciences was basically completed. Smooth progress was made in carrying out major projects such as building 50 national engineering centers, 32 national engineering laboratories and 56 key national laboratories seated in enterprises in areas such as digital television and next-generation Internet, as well as manufacturing advanced-generation LCD panels, large-scale integrated circuits and regional aircraft. Further progress was made in the development of large aircraft. An additional 93 enterprise technology centers received state recognition, 550 enterprises were now included in the national pilot program to support innovative enterprises, and the national pilot projects for innovation-oriented cities were carried out in 45 cities. The calculating speed of the high performance Tianhe-1 supercomputer, which was developed independently, is ranked first in the

2 world. High-tech industries developed more quickly . The value-added of the high-tech manufacturing industry for the year rose 16.6%, up 8.9 percentage points from the previous year. The output of major high-tech products increased considerably, with output of integrated circuits growing by 57.4%, electronic components by 30.1%, microcomputers by 35% and mobile telecommunication handsets by 46.4%; and the sales of software came to 1.3 trillion yuan, up 30%. Trade volume in the technology market exceeded 300 billion yuan. We promulgated and implemented the Decision on Accelerating the Cultivation and Development of Strategic Emerging Industries; actively moved forward with seven projects to apply high technology to production, including the project to promote modern practices in traditional Chinese medicine; built 18 national high-tech industrial bases; and set up 13 venture capital funds ." In setting the major objectives and tasks for 2011, the report indicated that the spending on R&D as a percentage of GDP will be increased to 1.85% and independent innovation and the development of strategic emerging industries will be vigorously stimulated. (For the full report in English: Xinhua net )

Report on China's central, local budgets (2011)

The Report on the Implementation of the Central and Local Budgets for 2010 and on the Draft Central and Local Budgets for 2011 was submitted for review on March 5, 2011 at the Fourth Session of the Eleventh National People's Congress and was adopted on March 14. According to the Report, the central government expenditures in 2010 on science and technology reached 172.834 billion yuan, 105.8% of the budgeted figure and an increase of 14.3%. 30.2 billion yuan was spent in implementing the major national science and technology projects, and 24.439 billion yuan in supporting the State Natural Sciences Fund, Program 973, projects to develop and operate key national laboratories, and other basic research. 90.413 billion yuan was disbursed to increase research on cutting-edge technologies; research for public benefit; R&D on major, generic and key technologies; and other applied research. 20 billion yuan was spent to carry out the plan for restructuring and invigorating key industries, and to stimulate technological upgrading and innovation in enterprises. The development of regional scientific and technological innovation systems and the integration of enterprises, universities, research institutes and end-users have been promoted . The central budget expenditures provided for science and technology in 2011 will be 194.413 billion yuan, an increase of 12.5%. This figure consists of 190.159 billion yuan of central government spending and 4.254 billion yuan in transfer payments to local governments. 43.5 billion yuan was appropriated, up 44%, to speed up the implementation of major national science and technology projects. 25.719 billion yuan was appropriated for basic research funds to increase investment in the State Natural Sciences Fund and improve the capabilities of key national laboratories and basic research institutes. 99.063 billion yuan was appropriated for applied research funds primarily to support research on cutting-edge technologies, research for the public interest and research on major, generic and key technologies. Pilot programs for independent R&D on major scientific equipment will be expanded. More guidance and support will be given to strengthen regional innovation capabilities and give impetus to the transformation of scientific and technological results into actual productive forces. (For the full report in English: central government web )

Improved IPR protection

China will strengthen its protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), in a bid to improve the nation's capacity for innovation, said senior figures from six ministries and administrations including the Ministry of Commerce, the State Intellectual Property Office and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce that jointly pledged at a news conference on the sidelines of the National People's Congress to strengthen efforts to combat IPR infringements and to make IPR protection a "long-term" national task. (Further details in source: China Daily )

3

Sichuan aims to plug in to IT opportunities

The government of Sichuan province said it plans to turn the area into a hub for the information technology industry and boost the turnover of the IT sector to 1 trillion yuan ($152 billion) by 2015. Huang Xiaoxiang, who is vice-governor of the province in Southwest China, said at a news conference that high-technology industries will become the major economic engines for Sichuan during the period of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015). He pointed out that the turnover of Sichuan's high-technology industries was only 130 billion yuan last year but said he expects it to hit the 1-trillion-yuan target in the coming five years. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Macao grants $8.6m for R&D in 2010

Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) paid out some 69 million patacas ($8.62 million) to local science research projects and the promotion of science last year, the Macao Post Daily reported. The newspaper quoted FDCT president Tong Chi Kin as saying that the fund approved 62 research projects and granted some 35 million patacas ($4.37 million) for them last year. Among the projects, 29 were being embarked upon in local universities or institutes. Tong, who presented the fund's annual report in a press conference, said the fund would focus on cooperation with other departments to promote the use of LED lamps and electric cars this year. Meanwhile, Tong said he expected the government's first Science and Technology award to be given out in November. The Executive Council of Macao SAR announced last month that it will establish awards for locals contributing to Macao in the field of science and technology, with the highest prize hitting one million patacas ($125,000). (Further details in source: China Daily )

China allocates 2.24b yuan to aid needy students

China has earmarked 2.24 billion yuan ($341 million) of financial aid to high school students from poverty-stricken families for this spring semester, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said. About 4.8 million high school students with financial difficulties will benefit from the subsidy, the MOF said in an online statement. The statement urged local governments to send the subsidy to local schools as soon as possible and give priority to students from rural, underdeveloped and ethnic regions. China had promised to spare no efforts to ensure "no child shall be allowed to drop out due to family financial difficulties" in its national education plan, known as the Outline of China's National Plan for Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development (2010-2020). Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said at the ongoing annual session of China's National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, that education spending will be weighted as 4 percent of the country's GDP in 2012 fiscal year. The education expenditure rose 19.3 percent year on year to 1.25 trillion yuan in 2010. (Further details in source: China Daily )

MOST Publicized Major S&T Findings

Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology publicized on March 9, 2011 hundreds of new findings derived from major national S&T programs for 11th Five-year Plan period, including the National 863 Program, National 973 Program, National S&T Support Program, major S&T earmark projects, covering a range of strategic and emerging industries in the area of biopharmaceutical, energy efficiency and emission reduction, agricultural technology, new energy and new materials. During the 12th Five-year Plan period (2011-2015), China will build up its proprietary innovation capability and turn itself into an innovation-oriented country. (Further details in source: MOST )

4 China announced new environmental target

The country announced its energy saving and environment protection targets for the year, the nation's top economic planning body said. The target may give a boost to the country's clean- energy industries especially wind and solar power, as China reassesses its nuclear energy development plan following Japan's nuclear crisis, analysts said. The government hopes to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 3.5 percent, lowering emissions of major pollutants by 1.5 percent, and reducing water use per industrial value-added by 7 percent in 2011, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement published on its official website. These targets are part of China's plan to cut energy consumption and carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 18 percent over the next five years. China, as the world's largest primary energy consumer, pledged in its 12th Five-Year Plan to cut energy consumption per unit of GDP by 16 percent while slashing carbon emissions by 17 percent in the five years through 2015. That will help China meet its pledge of reducing carbon intensity by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels. (Further details in source: China.org )

China surges in science; may pass U.S.

China is on pace to overtake the U.S. in scientific output possibly as soon as 2013, the BBC reports. The Royal Society study charts the challenge from China to the traditional dominance of the United States, Europe and Japan. The figures of published research papers on recognized international journals reveal an "especially striking" rise by Chinese science. Although the United States still leads the world, its share of global authorship has fallen to 21% from 26%, and its closest rival is now China, which has risen from sixth to second place with a share of authorship rising to 10.2% from 4.4%. This study shows that China could go on to overtake America on science in as little as two years. (Source: China.org )

Chinese VP stresses development of strategic emerging industries

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping called for more efforts to foster and develop strategic emerging industries to help the country "take the high ground in the future world economy." Xi made the remarks during an inspection tour to east China's Anhui Province. Xi, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, noted that those industries represent the future direction of science and technology innovation and industry upgrades. During the tour, Xi visited villages, enterprises, universities, research institutions and communities. (Further details in source: Xinhua net )

VOICES AND OPINIONS

Top legislator urges universities to boost innovation

During a visit to Tsinghua University, China's top legislator Wu Bangguo called on the country's universities to make more efforts to conduct innovations in science and technology research. Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), made the visit one month ahead of Tsinghua University's 100th anniversary since its founding. Wu said higher learning institutions, especially renowned universities like Tsinghua, should further enhance their capacity for innovation and strengthen scientific research in fundamental, cutting-edge and generic technologies. He urged universities to "encourage innovation, tolerate failures and make breakthroughs in core and key technologies so as to offer science and technology support for the

5 country's adjustment to the economic growth pattern as well as the development of a modern industrial system.” (Further details in source: China Daily )

Experts urge reform of science grants

Chinese scientists are spending so much time applying for research grants that the country's attempts to achieve scientific breakthroughs and innovation have been seriously impeded, Wang Tingda, the former audit supervisor for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has warned. "Some of them are consuming at least half of their time filling in application forms for research projects," Wang told China Daily on the sidelines of the annual session of the CPPCC National Committee, citing a survey he conducted among more than 370 scientists from 11 research institutes around the country. In China, funding for scientific research is distributed through two channels: some basic research projects receive grants every year, but most scientists have to compete for project- based funds. "Such a mechanism needs to be improved to encourage scientists to devote their time to research," said Wang. "I propose that the government provide long-term finance for those scientists who have a proven record of good research, so that they can concentrate on their studies." About 73 percent of the scientists surveyed said they wanted changes to the system for allocating research funds. Using funds effectively is becoming especially important as China places more emphasis on technological innovations and is heavily increasing its investment in science and research, Wang said. Premier Wen Jiabao said China will increase its spending on scientific research and development to 2.2 percent of GDP by 2015. The ratio was 1.8 percent in 2010, short of the 2 percent set in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010). Li Deshui, the former director of the National Bureau of Statistics, who is also a member of the CPPCC National Committee, said the country's funding for scientific programs still lags behind the world's average level. "We need to reform the funding mechanism and the reviewing systems for scientists," Li said. "We need to generate more tangible results from our research programs." (Further details in source: China Daily )

People invited to share their climate change ideas

With examples of extreme weather apparently becoming more common around the world, China is working on legislation to tackle climate change and guarantee the country's sustainable development. "The legislation is at the stage where it is being prepared, assessed and where public opinion is being collected and we hope the draft will be finished by the end of 2011," said Ma Aimin, a divisional director with the department of climate change under the National Development and Reform Commission. Ma, who is in charge of collecting those public opinions, told China Daily that people can comment between now and Sept 30 by calling 86-10-68505821, faxing 86-10-68505648 or emailing [email protected] . Experts have said the draft climate change law is likely to focus on giving policy guidelines to local authorities to help them draft their future work plans and is unlikely to include specific and detailed actions. (Further details in source: China Daily )

National standard to help clean up coastal pollution

A national standard will be drafted that limits pollutant discharge into the sea as part of a campaign to protect the fragile maritime environment, a top administrator said. Local regulations in coastal provinces are the only code of conduct currently covering marine pollution and this underlines the urgency of a national standard, Liu Cigui, head of the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), told China Daily. Cleaning up the mess and protecting coastal areas will not be an easy task as industrial and domestic discharge has taken a toll. About 147,000 sq km of coastal water, almost the size of the US state of Florida, failed to meet national clear water

6 standards in 2009, an increase of 7.3 percent from the previous year, according to a report released last year by the SOA. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Nation's talent pool lacks a global mindset

Multinational and major Chinese companies are seeking new talent development strategies in an effort to keep pace with the rapidly shifting reality of China's market. Almost without exception, these strategies seek to address the need for improved global leadership skills within the Chinese talent pool. For Chinese companies seeking to expand globally and multinationals hoping to maintain their competitive advantage within China, the key is in taking the country's talent to a global level. Multinationals working in China need strong management teams to act as bridges between their headquarters and their Chinese subsidiaries. The source of these talents has changed quickly. Initially, the majority of these managers came from the West. Then, for a period of time, Singaporeans and Taiwan and Hong Kong residents were sent to fill these positions as well. They were later replaced by Chinese returnees: Chinese employees who had lived abroad and returned to live and work in the country. Congruent with the insomniac pace of China's market shifts, the Chinese returnee has now become pass, and the focus has shifted to developing local Chinese talent. The challenges in developing Chinese talent to operate on a global level are not insignificant. Multinationals praise Chinese employees for excelling in execution and implementation, possessing a strong and efficient work ethic. But the missing link is most often a strategic global perspective. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Openness pledged in R&D funding

China's minister of science and technology made a promise to foster research and development by opening up the competition for government funding. Wan Gang said the current system will be improved "to create an innovation-stimulating environment that features scientific democracy, academic freedom, scholastic vigor, open-mindedness and inclusiveness". In addition, Wan told a news conference in Beijing that a regional innovation system that can offer incentives and other distinct advantages will be established. Services to bridge the science and technology sectors also will be improved, he said. Some of Wan's presentation dealt with the competition for government funding and efforts to overcome problems in the past. In 1978, the ministry introduced a mechanism to allow programs to compete for national funding. However, scientists doing basic research were at a disadvantage because their research required long-term investment and had higher failure rates. So in 2008, the ministry instituted a policy of supporting basic research because "some genius ideas and innovations also need more freedom", Wan said. But some problems developed that tainted the system of awards for merit. Last month, for example, the ministry stripped Li Liansheng, a professor of a top national award for plagiarism and faking data. The ministry said it would take back the prize money, 100,000 yuan ($15,200). He was also dismissed from his post in Xi'an Jiaotong University. Wan was clear in stating his intentions to establish a more transparent mechanism of competition for funding and to punish those who violate the rules. "We will establish an expert database for application review, and the judges will be randomly chosen to ensure the results are truly objective," he said. He said that a "reasonable mechanism" for fairness is not a 100 percent guarantee of good results. "Therefore, public supervision is welcome during the whole process, and I promise we will hold responsible persons accountable," he said. (Further details in source: China.org )

7 PEOPLE OF THE MONTH

Bai Chunli, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Prof. BAI Chunli, a well-known chemist and leading scientist in nano-science, is the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Prof. BAI Chunli has been Executive Vice-President of CAS since 2004. He has also served as Vice-President of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), President of the Graduate University of CAS (GUCAS), Director of the Academic Division of Chemistry and Member of the Executive Committee of the Presidium of the Academic Divisions of CAS.

Prof. BAI graduated from the Department of Chemistry, Peking University in 1978 and received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the CAS Institute of Chemistry in 1981 and 1985 respectively. From1985-1987, he worked with the California Institute of Technology, U.S.A., in the field of physical chemistry as a post-doctorate associate and visiting scholar. After he returned to China in 1987, he continued his research at the CAS Institute of Chemistry. From 1991 to 1992, he worked as a visiting professor at Tohoku University in Japan.

His research areas include the structure and properties of polymer catalysts, X-ray crystallography of organic compounds, molecular mechanics and EXAFS research on electro- conducting polymers. In the mid-1980s, he shifted his research to the fields of scanning tunneling microscopy and molecular nanotechnology.

Prof. BAI has a long list of scientific publications and has won more than twenty prestigious awards and prizes for his academic achievements. Because of his academic achievements, he was elected a Member of CAS and Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) in 1997. He is also a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and Foreign Member of Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Honorary Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences (IAS), and honorary doctor or professor of several foreign universities. Prof. BAI also serves as the Chief Scientist for the National Steering Committee for Nanoscience and Technology and was the Founding Director of China National Center for Nanoscience and Technology.

Prof. BAI is also the Vice President of TWAS, Member of the Executive Committee of IUPAC (2008-2009), and Member of the International Editorial Advisory Board of JACS, Angewandte Chemie, Advanced Materials and Chemical Physics Letters. (Source: CAS )

Chinese Academy of Sciences Has Big Plans for Nation's Research

Last month, chemist Bai Chunli became president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing, after serving for six years as the academy's executive president. He talks to Nature about science in China and his vision for the prestigious institution.

What is the CAS's role in shaping science policy in China? As the top think-tank for central government, the CAS advises on science policies and priority areas of research. In the past few decades, it has been instrumental in planning and instigating major initiatives, such as the establishment of scientific funding systems and major national research and development projects. The CAS has also been a testing ground for reforms in

8 policies and infrastructures. Under the Knowledge Innovation Program, for instance, reform and restructuring of the academy led to significant improvement in scientific output. And as part of Innovation 2020, the CAS will strive to boost national innovation capacity.

How will you deal with the relationship between basic research and applied science? The CAS is committed to building a strong capacity for basic research, allowing for sufficient funding and research freedom. It will reduce the frequency of research evaluation while improving its quality; for research directly related to the public interest, evaluation will be based on national needs and socioeconomic benefits.

How will the CAS accelerate the conversion of basic research to products? First, the CAS will strengthen its ties with the industrial sector by setting up joint research and development centres and working with industry on major national projects. We will house incubation programmes for promising business ideas. Second, we will promote collaboration with provincial governments and set up regional research programmes. Finally, the CAS will establish incentives to encourage patents and their commercialization, and will improve its management and supporting infrastructure to better protect intellectual-property rights.

China's output of scientific papers has increased rapidly in recent years, but the impact of those papers is still relatively low. How do you propose to remedy that? The quantity and quality of papers published by the CAS have increased significantly in the past decades — although, admittedly, the overall quality of papers in China needs to be improved. The CAS will continue to encourage its scientists to take on challenges in frontier research areas, and will support risky and long-term projects. Meanwhile, our evaluation system, which is largely based on the number and quality of papers, will shift towards assessing the quality of innovation, its actual contribution to society and its state of development.

How do you want to cultivate the relationship between scientists in China and in the rest of the world? The CAS will consolidate its collaborations with developed nations, and further promote cooperation with developing nations, especially China's neighbours. It will strive to set up long- term, strategic partnerships with first-rate research institutions, international science organizations and multinational research and development corporations. The CAS encourages its scientists to participate in international research projects and to take up positions in international organizations. We also warmly welcome scientists from other nations to visit and work in the academy.

There have been growing calls for reforms of the allocation and management of science funding. What is your position on that? From a relatively low level, science in China has made significant progress in the past few decades. This is due to the efforts of the Chinese scientific community as well as government administrations. There is certainly room for improvement in funding systems, but I see this as an integral part of social progression. Some funding agencies, such as the National Natural Science Foundation (NNSF), have offered excellent examples of success. The NNSF's emphasis on fairness and transparency and its democratic and meritocratic decision-making process should be universal to all funding bodies. I believe that, with further reforms, the allocation of science funding in China will become fairer and more transparent, and the standard and efficiency of funding management will be improved.

How will you strengthen the academy's policing of scientific fraud and misconduct? In 2007, the CAS promulgated regulations for research behaviour, which provide the criteria for judging misconduct, the procedure for investigating allegations and the actions to be taken in

9 case of proven wrongdoing. The key is to ensure sufficient oversight and to implement the regulation with greater coherence and forcefulness. Meanwhile, we are considering setting up a compulsory course on research ethics in the CAS graduate school, introducing the basic principles and discussing misconduct cases in China and the rest of the world, so that the culture of accountability becomes ingrained from a young age. (Source: CAS )

CAS President BAI Chunli Answers Science 's Questions on Innovation

Last month, physical chemist Bai Chunli was appointed president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China's top research body with tens of thousands of scientists at dozens of institutes across the nation. Science spoke with Bai about innovation, which China, like Europe and the United States, emphasizes as a crucial driver of future economic growth.

Q: What are the obstacles to China's innovation efforts? Previously, China had hoped that by ceding market shares to foreign companies, we could in exchange obtain advanced technology and increase our capacity for innovation. However, we have realized that core technologies could not be obtained this way, nor could they be purchased. Technologies that are truly essential [to our economy] must be developed indigenously.

Q: What is your vision for CAS's “Innovation 2020” project, which sets priority R&D areas for the next decade?

The main goal is to solve science and technology problems that are of strategic importance to China's modernization and meanwhile to develop CAS into a world-class research institution. The central government's investment will emphasize stable support for talents on the one hand, and mega-projects and infrastructure development on the other.

Q: How will CAS increase its ability to innovate?

We will center around three ideas: more democracy, more openness, and [giving] more prominence to talent.

(Source: CAS )

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES

Health

Parkinson's Treatment Device

A medical instrument developed by SUN Zuodong and coworkers at Harbin Aobo Medical Instruments to treat Parkinson's disease recently passed the experts’ approval check. Based on his theoretical study and clinical practice for many years, SUN proposed a new thinking line for treating Parkinson's disease, believing that the activation of dopaminergic neurons makes the key to treating the disease. It took five years for Sun and coworkers to have rolled out a medical instrument to treat the disease using the endogenous neurotransmitter control technology. The therapeutic instrument was granted with a registration as a medical instrument on January 31, 2011. Clinical trials show that the instrument is desirable for treating the mild-moderate symptoms of Parkinson's disease, noticeably easing some symptoms such as tremor, rigidity,

10 bradykinesia among others. The therapeutic instrument has been put into mass production. (Source: MOST )

New Approach for Pluripotent Stem Cells

Chinese researchers report on a new paradigm to improve the production of induced pluripotent stem cells in the Journal of Cell Research. Induced pluripotent stem cells offer researchers the opportunity to understand the regulation of cell fate determination at the biochemical, molecular and cellular levels. However, until now low efficiency, slow kinetics and multifactorial requirements have created bottle necks in the process. In the current study Duanqing Pei and colleagues, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Guangzhou, China), investigated the various ways of inducing pluripotency through the introduction of a rational method of optimization in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. (Further details in source: CAS )

Scientists get step closer to HIV vaccine

Chinese scientists have succeeded in the first phase of a clinical trial of an HIV vaccine and will launch the second stage in a few months, according to the country's leading disease control expert. Shao Yiming, chief expert of the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, told China Daily that the second phase of experiments on the vaccine, which has been approved by the national drug administration, "is likely to start in three or four months". Work on the HIV vaccine was one of the 16 major science and technology projects that made significant progress during the nation's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010). Generally, a vaccine to cure an infectious disease needs to pass three phases of clinical trials, to evaluate its effect on healthy people, to test its effectiveness on people exposed to a risk of infection, and to evaluate its impact on high- risk groups. Although a number of countries have completed second-phase tests, none has yet reached stage three. China started research on an HIV vaccine in 1993 by conducting clinical trials with a vaccine produced outside the country. If the vaccine proves successful, it will have a huge impact on the nation's HIV prevention policy, Shao said in an earlier interview with China Central Television. China has around 740,000 people with HIV or AIDS. The number is estimated to reach 1.2 million by the end of 2015, Hao Yao, deputy director of the Ministry of Health's disease prevention and control bureau, said in February. Earlier this year, the State Council called for greater efforts to control the spread of HIV and improve medical services for HIV carriers and AIDS patients, including intensified research efforts and international cooperation to develop new medicines and technologies. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Defected Maternal Mitochondria Makes Hypertension

A research team, headed by Prof. GUAN Minxin at Zhejiang University, in collaboration with WANG Shiwen, an academician at the PLA General Hospital, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and Medical University of Vienna, found that defected maternal mitochondria makes a pathogenic cause to essential hypertension. The finding made the defected mitochondria correlated to hypertension for the first time in the world, explaining the pathogenesis of maternal inheritance, and providing a new theoretical basis for the early diagnosis, intervention and prevention of hypertension. The finding was published in the recent issue of Circulation Study. (Further details in source: MOST )

New Antibody for Rabies Virus

Researchers at a military medical institute in Nanjing and the Nanjing Medical University have jointly rolled out a new antibody (Fab) able to neutralize the activity of rabies virus. Animal experiments show that the combination vaccine effectively inhibits rabies virus infections, a 11 potential application desirable for rabies prevention. The finding was published in the recent issue of J. Chinese Pharmacology. (Further details in source: MOST ) ______

Food, agriculture and fisheries, biotechnology

Ginseng Genome Mapped

YU Jun, Deputy Director of Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Genome, announced on March 4, 2011 in Beijing that the Institute has completed ginseng genome mapping at the end of February, 2011. Scientists sequenced the genome of a ginseng species that is growing most extensively in China, using the combined first and second generation sequencing technology. Guided by the new research strategy, researchers obtained a high quality ginseng genome map based on a 100-times coverage sequence. The basic biological information derived from the ginseng genome will provide useful data for studying genome diversity, origin, and evolution. Meanwhile, genome analysis and functional study will facilitate the study of the genetic and agronomic traits of ginseng, and associated metabolism, medicinal, chemical, and processing properties, providing technical support for ginseng breeding, processing, and product development. (Source: MOST )

Chinese scientists publicize first genome map of rare, highly-valued herb

After over a year's efforts, scientists from Shanghai and Hong Kong announced that they have completed the whole genomic sequencing work of Isaria cicada, a rare herb highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine, which will help facilitate its further development in medical and nutrition fields. It is the first time that the whole genomic sequence of Isaria cicada has been released, said the scientists from Shanghai Institute of Bio-Asia Life Science and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), who participated in the research. The result was announced at the International Biomedical Scientists and Biotechnology Forum 2011 held in the day at the Hong Kong Science Park. (Further details in source: Xinhua )

GM 'human' milk predicted to be on shelf

Genetically modified (GM) dairy products that are similar to human milk will appear on the Chinese market in two years, an expert in biotechnology has predicted. Li Ning, a scientist from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the State Key Laboratories for AgroBiotechnology at China Agricultural University, said progress in the field is well under way. Li said Chinese scientists have successfully created a herd of more than 200 cows that is capable of producing milk that contains the characteristics of human milk. He said the technology is at the cutting edge worldwide and will ensure "healthy protein contained in human milk is affordable for ordinary consumers". The Ministry of Agriculture issued bio-safety examination certificates for the GM herd in March 2010, giving the scientific team a 22-month period during which the technology can be tested in laboratories. The ministry will then evaluate the results of the tests before deciding whether to allow the milk to be sold. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Chinese scientists publicize first genome map of rare, highly-valued herb

Scientists from Shanghai and Hong Kong announced that they have completed the whole genomic sequencing work of Isaria cicada, a rare herb highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine, which will help facilitate its further development in medical and nutrition fields. It is the first time that the whole genomic sequence of Isaria cicada has been released, said the

12 scientists from Shanghai Institute of Bio-Asia Life Science and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), who participated in the research. (Further details in source: Xinhua net )

Xi'an Jiaotong University Collaborates with Nestle

Xi'an Jiaotong University and the Nestlé Group jointly inaugurated on March 4, 2011 a nutrition and health lab in Xi'an. Nestle has a high-level researchers contingent and the world's most sophisticated instruments and equipment for nutritional products development and food safety test. Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Life Sciences is an earlier domestic institution embarking on the study of the metabolism of nutritional factors at the molecular and cellular level. The two parties reached an accord last year to establish a Nestle-Xi'an Jiaotong University Laboratory. Nestle will support Xi'an Jiaotong University’s study of nutritional foods and metabolic diseases, and will expand the scope and scale of the collaboration in line with the progress that has been made. Xi'an Jiaotong University will establish a world renowned discipline of nutritional food science with the combined strength of industry, universities and research institutes, taking advantage of Nestle’ influence and support, traditional Chinese health culture, and modern biological sciences, making it a major brand enjoyed by Xi'an Jiaotong University. (Source: MOST )

First Medicinal Flower Sequenced

At an international forum on biomedicine and biotechnology held on March 18, 2011 in Hong Kong, a joint team made up of the scientists from Shanghai BioAsia and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology announced that thanks to more than one year study, it has completed the sequence and assembly of the genome map of Cordycepssobolifera, a rare Chinese medicinal flower, and will publish the genome it has sequenced. The development marks the successful sequence of the first genome of medicinal entomogenous fungi, in addition to the first genetic map for Cordycepssobolifera. (Further details in source: MOST )

Plant LED Technology

Plant LED light source technology and associated application, a project led by YANG Qichang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, recently passed an approval check. In the past 8 years, YANG and fellow researchers have worked hard to apply LED light in seedling breeding, growing leafy vegetables and medicinal plants, vegetable quality control, and greenhouse supplemental lighting, and developed an optimized light environment indicator system able to raise plants’ light utilization efficiency. The finding provides important theoretical evidence for LED application in growing plants. (Further details in source: MOST )

Growing Salt Tolerant Plants in Deserts

CAS Institute of Oceanology announced on March 23,2011 that its researchers have landed a major breakthrough in growing plants in saline and alkaline soils, including deserts. XING Junwu, a research fellow at the Institute, developed a range of techniques to grow halophytes in the extremely dry inland environment featured with high salinity and alkalinity, and established a farming system able to improve the ecological environment. The finding has won the patent grant issued by the State Intellectual Property Office. (Further details in source: MOST )

World's First Grouper Genome Map

13 Zhongshan University and Beijing Genomics Institute (Shenzhen) said on March 18, 2011 that Chinese scientists have completed the sequence of grouper’s genome map. This is the third fish genome wide sequence completed by Chinese scientists, or the world's first genome map for Perciformes Serranidae family. The efforts will eventually spot important trait genes and molecular markers, valuable for developing new gender control technology and revealing the evolution of gender determination mechanism in vertebrates. (Source: MOST )

China Part of Largest Microbial Genome Project

Beijing Genomics Institute (Shenzhen) announced recently that Chinese scientists will become part of the largest microbial genome project in the world. Chinese scientists will work to sequence the environmental DNA or metagenome of 200, 000 samples, establishing a world wide genome map for the purpose. The project is designed to study the functionalities of microbial communities and associated evolutionary diversity in a comprehensive and systematic manner, making them beneficial to the human society. (Further details in source: MOST )

Institut Pasteur Shanghai Announces the Creation of its Global Biotech Accelerator Advance BioChina

Institut Pasteur of Shanghai announces the creation of its global biotech accelerator company Advance BioChina. Advance BioChina is an R&D-focused for-profit organization that positions itself as the gateway to China for global biotech companies. Advance BioChina co-invests with global biotech companies into Shanghai-based Joint Ventures. Advance BioChina will incubate and develop up to 25 companies over the next 5 years to help them develop innovative products for the Chinese and global markets. Advance BioChina's founder Institut Pasteur of Shanghai (IPS) was established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institut Pasteur and the Shanghai Municipal Government in 2004 and is a legally independent non-profit research organization. (Further details in source: CAS )

Joint CSIRO-China Research on Food Security

Delegates from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have been touring crop research labs at the Black Mountain site as the two agencies discuss ways to share knowledge. There is growing pressure on world food production as the global population increases by 75 million people each year. CSIRO Plant Industry deputy chief, Dr John Manners says the agencies will focus on the genetic blueprint of crop plants such as wheat and rice to help develop more efficient crops. "China is not only an agricultural powerhouse but also a scientific powerhouse and they face many of the challenges that we do in Australia, including drought, hostile soils and plant diseases," Dr Manners said. The scientists are considering joint projects which could speed up the rate of scientific discovery. "Our joint research efforts will be centred around plant genomics, looking at the genetic make-up of these crop plants to improve yield, sustainability and disease resistance," Dr Manners said. (Source: CAS )

BioMérieux and the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences Partner to Develop Innovative Diagnostic Tests for Food Safety

Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Science (SIBS) and bioMérieuxsigned a long-term strategic partnership contract on March 29, 2011, to develop innovative diagnostic tests to better address the needs for the microbiological quality control of food products produced in China and other countries. Under the partnership, the Institute for Nutritional Sciences (INS), SIBS, CAS will work with French and Chinese R&D teams from bioMérieuxon research projects in the area of food safety. They will focus on different food- 14 borne pathogens as well as contaminants, such as hormones, which are a growing concern. The INS will provide its unique competencies and research facilities in Shanghai, under the direction of Dr. WANG Hui, principal investigator and head of Food Safety Research Center. bioMérieux will support the research and contribute its expertise in food quality and safety control as the world leader in industrial microbiology. "We are very pleased to reinforce our scientific collaborations in China and to have the opportunity to work with one of the world’s leading research institutions to address the important public health issue of ensuring food safety,” stated Alexandre Mérieux, Corporate vice president, Industrial Microbiology, bioMérieux. The SIBS and bioMérieux will also collaborate on the development of new requirements and high- quality food safety standards in China. This will help to establish a reference center for these standards that will provide education and build a network of centers throughout China and Asia. (Further details in source: CAS )

Earliest Angiosperms Eudicots Found in China

A group of scientists from Shenyang Normal University, Jilin University, CAS Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, the Indiana University, and the University of Florida have recently found the first intact fossil of angiosperms eudicots, or Leefructus, in the central part of the Yixian Cretaceous Formation in Lingyuan, Liaoning. Dated back to some 124 million years ago, and very close to today’s Ranunculaceae in resemblance, the ancient eudicots is the earliest fossilized angiosperms associated with the evolution of today’s angiosperms found in China and in the world as well. The finding was recently published as a cover story in the journal Nature. (Further details in source: MOST )

Chinese Scientists Found Main Cause of Low NT Rate

A team, led by LI Jinsong at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, part of CAS Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, has developed a 4N embryos compensation technology. Researchers found that two 4N embryos would result in a higher developmental rate of clones after aggregation, and that even a higher NT efficiency is achieved after aggregating cloned ICMs with 4N embryos. Meanwhile, the aggregated placentae display better histology and gene expression patterns. They also proved that cloned trophoblast cells constitute the main cause for the low success rate of NT. (Further details in source: MOST ) ______

Information and communication technologies

"Chinese Core” on the Way for Local Supercomputer

By the end of 2011 China-made supercomputers will bid farewell to foreign microchips and begin using their own “Chinese core”, according to one of the country’s leading scientists, Hu Weiwu. National People’s Congress Deputy Hu Weiwu, who is the chief developer of the Loongson series of microchips at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), told reporters that the “Dawning 6000 ″ supercomputer, jointly developed by the Institute of Computing Technologies of CAS along with the Dawning Information Industry Business (DIIC), will adopt Loongson microchips for the first time as its core component. It will have a computing speed of

15 a lot more than 1,000 trillion operations a second. The supercomputer developed by CAS and DIIC is scheduled to be available as early as this summer. Making supercomputers with Chinese microchips is one of the nation’s key science and technologies projects. (Further details in source: CAS )

Home Made Chips for Supercomputer

According to HU Weiwu, Godson's chief designer, the first supercomputer running on Chinese made CPUs, or "Godson 3" series chip, will be completed this summer. The chip has registered some performance that has overtaken its overseas counterparts. For example, a Dawning petaflop supercomputer will need 20,000 Intel's chips, but will need only less than 10,000 chips if they are home made. Weiwu briefed that at present there are three domestic institutions working on supercomputers, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Dawning series), Jiangnan Institute of Computation (Shenwei series), and the National University of Defense Technology (Galaxy series). All the three domestic supercomputer developers will equip their supercomputers with the CPUs developed on their own. Prior to that, "Tianhe-1" supercomputer has completed the phase-II development. Compared with phase-I, the phase-II development has significantly raised the calculation speed, with a laudable localization rate of key components. For example, the "FT-1000" central processor is made up of 2,048 chips developed by the National University of Defense Technology. (Source: MOST )

Chinese Made Terminal Operating System

China Unicom said at a press conference held on February 28, 2011 in Beijing that it will officially launch its first smart phone Wal-Phone and a patented terminal operating system. Built on the Linux kernel, Wal-Phone is designed with a multi-tier architecture to house a range of utilities, including an interactive graphics system supporting the intelligent terminal, core function database, application framework, security suite, business model components, and basic application software. The system supports WCDMA, CDMA, TD-SCDMA and LTE, with desirable applications for banking, securities, health care, transportation among many others. It is also designed to meet the needs of a range of mobile terminals, including flat-panel computer and television. According to ZHANG Zhijiang, head of China Unicom Dept. of Technology and Research Institute, 7 Wal-Phone models have completed the development. 2 of them have been granted with the network entry permit issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and entered mass production. They are expected to be on the market in March, 2011. (Source: MOST )

Chinese Made Small Robot Plane

A small robot plane, developed by the CAS Shenyang Institute of Automation, is the only robot that can fly in the sky. With a 3-meter wide wingspan and a 3- meter long body, the small robot plane is able to reach a flight speed up to 70 km/hour, allowing a super low level flight up to 10 meters above the ground. It can be readjusted for desired flying height and speed in line with the terrains. It consumes #93 gasoline, and can be employed to collect information on disasters. For example, it can feed the

16 disaster relief authorities with the disaster information within the radius of a dozen kilometers. Comparing to the fixed-wing aircraft, the robot plane can fly at a very slow speed, or hovering over a very low altitude. It can hover over a school in the disaster stricken area, taking photographs, before sending them to the ground relief authorities for dispatching rescue workers. (Source: MOST )

High Quality 3D Video Conversion Chip

Tsinghua University recently announced that it has rolled out a 3D video chip named Qing-Cube, applicable to high-quality video conversion from plane to three-dimensional images. The home made 3D TV equipped with the proprietary chip will be sold in the marketplace July this year. Meanwhile, a range of 2G and 3G products, including 3D video set-top box and naked eye 3D TV, will make their debut in the coming three years. (Further details in source: MOST ) ______

Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies

Green Manufacturing of Biodegradable PLA Bead Foams

White pollution is becoming a serious environmental issue in the world, which is mainly due to the wide use of polystyrene (PS) foamed products. However, the growth of PS foam usage continues to be strong, especially in Asia, around half the world total, major use for protective packaging. The main reasons are low price, reasonable properties and mature processing technology. Nowadays, scientists have shifted their eyes to the biodegradable polymer foams instead of PS foams. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer, produced from renewable natural resources. How to enhance crystallization behavior and increase crystallinity of PLA has been widely discussed in the research on PLA processing. Researchers have found that the microcellular foaming could contribute to the crystallinity increase of PLA, however, the preparation of well-defined PLA foams and the development of PLA foaming technology are still very challenging. Recently, the researchers in NIMTE developed a green route to make PLA bead foams using supercritical CO2 as a physical blowing agent. By controlling the crystallization kinetics of PLA under supercritical CO2 during the foaming processes, they have successfully developed the PLA foaming technology. The resultant PLA bead foams present high expansion ratio of 20-45 times, well-defined cell morphology and high crystallinity. (Further details in source: CAS )

Out of the Blue - A New Phosphor for Flat Screen Displays

Materials chemists in China have developed a compound that they believe should improve the quality of field emission displays (FEDs), bringing applications a step closer. FEDs have, for a number of years, been a promising technology for flat panel displays, but progress has been hampered by the display quality. Jun Lin at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, and colleagues developed a phosphor with promising colour properties for FED applications. Phosphors are materials that emit light of a particular wavelength when struck by an electron. They have long been used in cathode ray tubes, and have more recently found application in FEDs. These work by a very similar principle to cathode ray tubes, but instead of a single electron source, a grid of tiny electron sources is used, making flat-panel displays possible. FEDs have numerous advantages over other flat panel technologies, such as the plasma and liquid crystal displays commonly used in TVs and computer monitors. These advantages include lower energy consumption, wide viewing angle, good contrast ratio and wide working temperature range. However, the phosphors for FEDs need to work at lower voltages than those

17 in cathode ray tubes, and developing low voltage phosphors with suitable colour characteristics has hindered uptake of the technology. (Further details in source: CAS )

Project hopes to pen new story on innovation

Since there's little chance of making a better mousetrap, the government of China is putting its research dollars into improving another invention: the ballpoint pen. China is set to launch a three-year project to develop its own technologies for making ballpoint pens, the Ministry of Science and Technology said. The country's manufacturers currently rely heavily on foreign technology for their production. With a fund of 60 million yuan ($9.1 million), the project will run from June 2011 to June 2014, a statement from the ministry said. The project to make ballpoint pens a home-grown product will mostly focus on developing core production techniques, including producing inks, pen points and mechanisms to combine the two. "Using advanced technologies to renovate and upgrade traditional industries is an important part of China building an innovative country," said Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Construction Begins on Steel Mill Off-Gases to LanzaTech Ethanol Demo Plant

LanzaTech, China’s largest steel and iron conglomerate, Baosteel Group Corporation, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have launched the construction of a plant that will use LanzaTech’s gas fermentation technology for the production of fuel ethanol from steel mill off- gases. In February the clean technology company and the world’s third largest steel producer signed a joint venture agreement that will see the construction of a 100,000 gallon a year demo plant, with the intention of quickly scaling the model again for the first commercial plant in China. As an important part of the ceremony, the partners have also announced the intention to form a dedicated CAS, Baosteel and LanzaTech Research and Development Center to ensure the continued growth and evolution of this novel technology. (Further details in source: CAS )

200m Underwater Welding

It is reported from Shandong Academy of Sciences Institute of Marine Instrumentation that China has develop the key technology to allow people welding in a deep ocean environment. The successful development of 200-meter deep-sea welding technology and associated submersible welding unit provides a strong technical support to a range of businesses that need the technology, including marine engineering, oilfield development, and deep-sea submersibles making. The Institute is assigned to develop deep sea welding technology, a national major project under the National 863 Program, during the 11th Five-year period (2006-2010). Researchers developed proprietary deep sea welding technology and associated submersible welding unit, through the absorption and digestion of imported technologies. (Further details in source: MOST ) ______

Environment (including climate change)

EU unveils low-carbon roadmap by 2050

The European Commission unveiled a roadmap for building a low-carbon economy by 2050, proposing an 80 percent to 95 percent cut of greenhouse gas emissions from the 1990 levels. It recommended Europe should achieve it largely through domestic measures since by mid-century international credits to offset emissions will be less widely available than today. Based on the results of a comprehensive economic modeling, the commission said cuts of the order of 40 18 percent and 60 percent below the 1990 levels should be achieved by 2030 and 2040 respectively in order to achieve an 80 percent "domestic" reduction by 2050. It called on all sectors to contribute, warning current policies are projected to reduce domestic emissions to 30 percent in 2030 and 40 percent in 2050. EU governments have agreed to reduce fossil fuel consumption by 20 percent in 2020. In order to achieve the energy savings goal, the commission proposed to set aside some of the emission allowances from the pool of allowances that is to be auctioned by the member states from 2013. The emission allowance program, known as ETS, is the cornerstone of the EU's fight against climate change. It imposes emission limits on more than 11,000 utilities and manufacturing companies, and obliges them to buy allowances if they want to emit more. As a next step, the commission said it may develop specific sectoral roadmaps in cooperation with the sectors concerned. (Further details in source: Xinhua )

Lancaster Launches International Masters Programme with Chinese Academy of Sciences

Lancaster University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have been working closely together to develop a new International MSc in Environmental Science and Technology. The new programme is a two-year Masters, accredited by Lancaster University and delivered in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Students will study at Lancaster for the first year of the programme and take a range of taught modules considering fundamental and applied aspects of environmental sciences. At an early stage during this first year, students will also begin to work with LEC-based academics or a UK-based company, to develop plans for a collaborative project. This project will start in the UK during the first year of study and continue in China during the second year within a relevant Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. However, students may also complete their studies in the UK. (Lancaster University Management School). For details about the new International MSc, please refer to: http://www.lec.lancs.ac.uk/international/CAS_LEC_Msc.pdf . (Source CAS )

Integrated Forest Resources Monitoring System

An experts panel established by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology reviewed and endorsed the results stemmed from a project to establish an integrated forest resource monitoring system, launched under the National S&T Infrastructure Program during the 11th Five-year Plan period (2006-2010). The system is an integration of modern information technology and traditional investigation techniques, combining the monitoring efforts from a variety of sources, including air, space, land, point, line, surface, resources, projects, and disasters. A study team made up of some 300 researchers from 27 research institutes, universities, and high-tech businesses in 14 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) worked together to achieve the laudable accomplishments in the 5-year study. (Further details in source: MOST )

China should boost marine economy

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China should explore and utilize ocean resources scientifically and quicken the development of the marine economy. This will step up transformation of the nation's economic growth pattern, and further boost the economic development in the eastern regions in the country, the premier said. Wen made the remarks after listening to a research report conducted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) on the comprehensive development of coastal areas and islands of East China's Zhejiang province. China not only has vast lands but also broad territorial waters, Wen said, adding that "We should stick to the policy of coordinating the development of land and sea economies during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period." The research was among a series of researches conducted by academicians and experts during the last ten years, which had also looked at issues such as the sustainable development of China's water resources, ecological and environmental protection, water

19 pollution prevention, and strategies for desertification treatment. Wen said that lack of water resources is a critical issue facing China, and the country's water conversation projects remain inadequate. To beef up water conservation constructions and solve the water issue will be a long and arduous task for China. (Source: China Daily )

Warning sounded for aquatic diversity

Nearly 70 percent of the fish resources in the Pearl River, the third longest river in China, are under threat as a result of excessive damming, overfishing and water pollution, according to a study. Estimates suggest that more than 260 fish species will face extinction in the next five to 10 years because of existing and planned dam projects along the Pearl River and its tributaries. Such work has disrupted the migration routes taken by some fish species and changed the environments of many spawning places, warned Li Xinhui, a researcher with the Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences. (Further details in source: China.org )

China’s First Voluntary Carbon Reduction Transaction

China’s first voluntary carbon emission reduction transaction was made on March 29, 2011 in Beijing, under a CDM capacity building pilot project, jointly financed by the French Global Environment Fund and the French Development Agency, and implemented by China's Agenda 21 Management Centre. Yunnan Mengxiang Bamboo sold to Franshion Properties (China) Limited 16,800 tons of voluntary carbon emission reduction under the Panda Standard, through Beijing Environment Exchange. Representatives from the French Development Agency Beijing Office and China's Agenda 21 Management Center, the organizers of the activity, attended the signing ceremony. Panda Standard, the first voluntary carbon emission reduction standard in China, is mainly designed to accommodate the emission reduction projects in agriculture, forestry, and other land-use activities. According to the accord, the bamboo forest carbon sequestration project in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan will achieve a bamboo carbon emission reduction target of 10,000 hectares. The transaction makes a good start for the efforts. As the first transaction made under the Panda Standard, the event also marks the development and growth of the voluntary carbon emission reduction market in the country. (Source: MOST )

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Energy

China not to change nuclear power plans

China will not change its plan for nuclear power projects development but will learn a lesson from Japan after a massive earthquake had caused a nuclear plant malfunction, an official with China's Ministry of Environmental Protection said. China has 13 sets of functional nuclear equipment and tests have showed all of them are safe, Zhang told a press conference on the sidelines of the national parliamentary session. China is "keeping a close eye" on the development of the earthquake's influence on Japan's nuclear facilities, he said. China has launched detectors in coastal cities to measure the influence of nuclear leaks from Japan and the tests have showed China has not been affected so far, the official said. (Further details in source: China Daily )

China suspends approvals for new nuclear plants

20 China has suspended the approval process for nuclear power stations so that safety standards can be revised after explosions at a Japanese plant, according to the executive meeting of the State Council, or the Cabinet. "Safety is our top priority in developing nuclear power plants, " the State Council said in the statement, calling for a comprehensive safety check and enhanced management over existing plants. Before the revised safety standards are approved, all new nuclear power plants, including pre-construction works, should be suspended, according to the statement. China has six nuclear power plants in operation, which are located along the country's eastern and southern coasts. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Harvesting Energy from Soft Drinks

Scientists in China have made a biofuel cell that harvests energy from soft drinks such as iced tea and juices. Energy supply is a hot topic, explains Shaojun Dong, who made the cell with her team at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. Biofuel cells (BFCs) convert chemical energy into electrical energy. They are cheap and active at room temperature and near-neutral pH, and show promise for use in green technology. Enzymatic BFCs that use an enzyme to convert sugar energy into electrical energy can be made into portable power sources and implantable medical devices as they generate more power than other BFC types. BFCs need to be miniaturised and have access to an abundant fuel source to be able to power small electronic devices. Soft drinks are cheap and widely available, Dong explains. Just 1ml of a drink could allow a fuel cell to provide electrical energy for over a month. The group's enzymatic BFC contains a bioanode and biocathode made from carbon fibre microelectrodes, which were modified with single-walled carbon nanohorns - carbon nanotubes shaped like horns - to enhance electron transfer. The bioanode was further modified with the enzyme glucose dehydrogenase (GDH). With the help of an enzyme co-factor, which assists in enzymatic reactions, the GDH-modified bioanode oxidised glucose present in the soft drinks. The biocathode was modified with the enzyme bilirubin oxidase, and reduced oxygen in the air to water. The electric current created by these two reactions can be used to power devices. (Further details in source: CAS )

Kickoff Meeting for A3 Foresight Program held in China

The kick-off meeting and first workshop for the study of “Composite Photocatalytic Systems for Efficient Water Splitting by Solar Energy” under the A3 Foresight Program was held in Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on January 10th, 2011. National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) has jointly funded the project of “Composite Photocatalytic Systems for Efficient Water Splitting by Solar Energy”, whose three PIs are Professor LI Can from DICP, CAS, Professor Kazunari Domen from Tokyo University and Professor Jae Sung Lee from Pohang University of Science and Technology. The purpose of the study is to solve the key scientific issues by conducting in-depth study of efficient conversion between solar energy and chemical energy through complementary advantage of association with strong partners, thus leading to breakthrough progress in the area of photocatalyst splitting water to make hydrogen. As an important renewable energy, solar energy has a unique advantage and tremendous potential for futher development. (Further details in source: NSFC )

China to standardize overheated wind farm construction with new rules

China's National Energy Bureau (NEB) is drafting new regulations to standardize the examination and approval of small wind farm projects, industry sources said. According to the rules, estimated to be promulgated in the first half of this year, local governments must first win

21 approval of the NEB before they give licenses to wind farm projects that are smaller than 50MW each. This move will cool down China's wind power industry that has become overheated in recent years, industry experts said. (Further details in source: Xinhua net ) ______

Transport (including aeronautics)

China Likely to Further Push Aero Engine Development: Chief Engineer

China is likely to grant top-level support to the development of aero engines to further grow the country's burgeoning aircraft industry, a senior engineer said. Gan Xiaohua, chief engineer of the Air Force Armament Research Institute, said the development of aero engines would probably be added to the list of national-level big research and development (R&D) projects. "Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are mulling the proposal, and steady progress has been made," Gan told Xinhua, without further elaboration. The national big R&D initiative during the 2006-2025 period covers an array of researches that are vital to China's future development, ranging from large-scale integrated circuit, new- generation broadband wireless telecommunication, to manned space and lunar probe projects. If included in the list, the project will be able to pool the necessary resources for achieving research breakthroughs. The development of large passenger jets has already been part of the massively-funded initiative. (Further details in source: CAS )

High-speed rail cuts into airlines' success

The advantages of China's high-speed railways are becoming clear since they forced air authorities to suspend flight services between two major cities. All flights linking Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in Central China, and Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in East China, have been suspended since March 27, according to the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China. The suspension will stay in place until September, when the air authority will re-evaluate the use of air services. This is the first air route halted at Wuhan's airport as the city emerges as a hub of China's expanding high-speed railway network, which had a total length of 8,358 kilometers at the end of last year. The intercity bullet trains, which began service in 2009, running at up to 250 km per hour, offer second-class tickets for 180 yuan. The high-speed trains have an occupancy rate of about 90 percent, outperforming the flights, which had an occupancy rate of less than 50 percent on workdays. With additional bullet train services coming in the third quarter of this year, the rail system, which has drawn international attention, is expected to consolidate its advantage. According to the Ministry of Railways, China will have a total of 12,000km of high-speed rail by 2012, the largest such network in the world. (Further details in source: China Daily )

New energy sector eyeing development due to aviation carbon tax

As a new carbon tax sets China's aviation industry fidgeting over projected losses, Fu Pengcheng, a Chinese biofuel expert, is feeling the pressure. Fu's office at the China University of Petroleum is developing new biological fuels. China's major airlines are now looking to his research to trim their flights' carbon emissions. "We don't have much time. A locally-developed biofuel is desperately needed to protect our aviation industry and China's national interest," said Fu. An advanced new energy sector would not just benefit the environment but also protect China against unfair attacks from foreign countries, said Fu. Fu was referring to an EU plan to levy carbon emission taxes on flights departing or landing in the region starting next year. Airlines whose emissions exceed a set quota will be forced to buy extra credits from less prolific polluters in the industry. Both China and the United States have expressed their disapproval,

22 accusing the rule of being motivated by unilateralism and protectionism. Chinese airline operators complained that the unfair charge would cost them an additional 122 million dollars per year. As a contingency plan against the worst-case scenario, Chinese airlines have launched reforms in the flight service to limit the carbon emissions yet having only achieved a modest effect. (Further details in source: People )

China steps up railway industry reform

China will further step up efforts to promote the separation of administration and management in the country's railway industry, according to an economic planning official. China will speed up industry reform, including that of the railway industry, said Peng Sen, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Committee (NDRC). Over the next five years, the country will move further to separate government functions from enterprise management and seek a wider range of investors in the industries of railway, telecommunications, salt and oil, according to Peng. Currently, the Ministry of Railway (MOR) is completely responsible for implementation of railway regulations and rail construction. It plans railway lines, selects construction companies through public bidding and supervises rail construction projects. By the end of 2010, the length of China's railways in operation reached 91,000 km, the second longest in the world following the United States, but the length of its high-speed rail ranks first. The volume of rail passengers and transport of goods, the length of rail in operation and the amount of investment poured into the industry are all likely to increase year on year in 2011, the ministry's statistics show. China not only has the world's longest and highest railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, but also has the most heavy-duty rail. The country also holds the world record for "the fastest operational high-speed train." The record was set when testing trains along the Shanghai-Beijing high-speed railway. Running 1,318-km in length, the Shanghai-Beijing high-speed connection links the country's two most important cities and is scheduled to open in June. In March, China's top auditing body said that 187 million yuan had been embezzled from the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway project. (Source: central government web )

China opens more low-altitude airspace

China will open more of its low-altitude airspace below 1,000 meters this year in another five pilot cities, the Shanghai Securities News reported. The country initiated the reform last year, with Changchun and Guangzhou chosen as the first two trial cities, the paper said. China aims to "thoroughly" open its low-altitude airspace across the country by 2015, the paper said, citing a circular jointly issued by the State Council and the Central Military Commission. Meanwhile, China is to boost its general aviation industry, and aims to set up three to five key enterprises in this sector, the paper cited Wang Changshui, vice minister of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China. General aviation refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline or regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. (Source: China Daily ) ______

Socioeconomic sciences and the Humanities

China's development 'not a model': Wen

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that China never sees its development as "a model". All countries can have their own development paths which are suitable for their own national conditions and "we respect the choice of their people." (Further details in source: China Daily )

Labor crunch 'structural problem’

23 China's labor shortage is expected to spread to central and western regions, from eastern coastal areas, amid a rising demand for workers, the human resources minister said. "It is a structural problem which mainly affected the labor-intensive manufacturing and service industries in eastern coastal areas. Now it seems to be spreading to central and western China," Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, told a news conference. Increasing numbers of migrant workers choose to work near or at home in the central and western areas as the regional economies develop rapidly, he said. On top of this, the new generation of migrant workers have higher salary and welfare expectations, he added. After decades of rapid development on the back of a rich reservoir of cheap labor, many labor-intensive industries in the east have relocated to the interior because of rising labor costs. A momentum is gathering that sees migrant workers leaving cities to return to their rural hometowns. Rising labor costs could see industry relocate and transform the growth pattern, said Yin. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Country ramps up healthcare spending

Under ongoing medical reforms that largely started in 2009, the government has established a basic medical insurance system for non-working urban residents and a new rural cooperative medical care system. The systems benefit 432 million urban dwellers and 835 million rural residents who were not covered by medical insurance in the past. And, as part of its drive to improve healthcare, the government now plans to spend 1.13 trillion yuan ($173 billion) on healthcare between 2009 and the end of this year. The amount surpasses the previous plan to spend 850 billion yuan on healthcare during that time frame, Wang Jun, vice-minister of finance, said at a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Regional officials considering changes to population policy

High-ranking regional officials have confirmed for the first time that they are mulling over making an adjustment to China's 30-year-old family planning policy, which encourages families to have only one child. Even so, population authorities in the central government are declining to say whether they will make a similar call for relaxation. Regional officials are thinking seriously about making adjustments, Yao Mingbao, secretary-general of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Congress, told China Daily. Even so, Yao declined to furnish details about a timetable and other matters, saying much must still be decided by the central government. Shanghai's fertility rate of 0.8 is among the lowest in the world, according to official statistics. In most industrial countries, a fertility rate of 2.1 is needed to replace the population over time. The average fertility rates in Beijing and Heilongjiang province have also fallen below 1. China has maintained a low fertility rate of 1.8 for almost 13 years. The family planning policy is credited for preventing 400 million births in the mainland and helping fuel China's economic growth and improve citizens' livelihoods. Meanwhile, it gave rise to a set of new difficulties, including a population that is growing older on average, a skewed sex ratio and a dwindling labor supply. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Social discrimination against undertakers still prevalent: green book

Social discrimination is still serious against undertakers in China who are poorly-paid and suffer heavy work pressure and psychological problems, according to a green book on the country's funeral industry. "Although undertakers' social status has risen compared with the 1970s and 1980s, discrimination against them is still prevalent," said the green book, jointly published by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think- tank. It said a majority of funeral workers suffer excessive mental pressure due to influence from

24 discrimination and the working environment as well as the lack of communication with others. (Further details in source: People ) ______

Space

7 weather satellites set to launch by 2015

China will launch seven meteorological satellites in the next five years and double its investment in meteorological infrastructure, according to Zheng Guoguang, head of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). According to Zheng, the accuracy of the new meteorological satellites will be greatly improved as the observation frequency will increase from once every half an hour to once every five minutes and the ground resolution will be improved from 1 kilometer to between 100 and 200 meters. He said the meteorological satellites, which are due to launch in 2014 or 2015, will help provide better warning of extreme weather events. (Further details in source: China.org )

China and ESAC Exchange Experience on Satellite Instrument Calibration and Science Operations

About 40 scientists from China, the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) and its member nations gathered in Madrid from March 7th to 8th to participate in the China-ESAC astronomic satellite instrument calibration and science operations workshop. Planned at the China-ESA space science bilateral meeting in 2010, the workshop aimed to optimize the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) Project based on the needs of instrument calibration and science operations. China has not launched any space astronomic satellite yet, and so has little experience as to the science operations and instrument calibration. During the workshop, the Chinese participants reported on the problems and challenges that need to be tackled, the ESAC scientists delivered 22 talks covering a wide range of science operations and calibration of ESA astronomic satellites. It was decided that a joint working group would be set up and three or four experts from each side would be chosen to draft plans for collaboration in the next year for the official approval of CAS and ESA. (Further details in source: CAS )

Spatial Information Technology

During the 11th Five-year Plan period (2006-2010), China's spatial information and software industry has witnessed a rapid development, thanks to the support of the National 863 Program and National S&T Infrastructure Program. A range of systems, including grid geographic information system, real three-dimensional geographical information system, high confidence geospatial database management system, statistical remote sensing, and multi-source remote sensing data processing and service system, have been granted with government support. Chinese scientists and engineers have mastered an array of core and key technologies needed for massive data spatial analysis and processing under a grid environment, quick access to spatial information and associated automated processing, network distribution service, the construction and integration of long time state and true three dimensional geographical information database, multi-source spatial data integration and application, adaptive spatial data engine, scalable spatial data modeling, multi-source high-resolution satellite remote sensing, satellite navigation and positioning data acquisition and service, high-precision smart navigation and positioning for special areas, along with 120 patents and 550 copyrights. (Further details in source: MOST )

Hopes are high for domestic GPS system

25 China's car owners are likely to start using a homegrown global positioning system next year, senior space technology experts said at the weekend. Liu Jingnan, from the Chinese Academy of Engineering who is a specialist in GPS technology, said at a conference in Beijing that the country's own satellite navigation system, Beidou, will start to offer a GPS service aimed at drivers in 2012, according to a Beijing News report. It was the first time the Beidou project has been connected with a grassroots civilian use and an alternative to the currently dominant United States GPS navigation system. "We estimate the price of navigation chips through Beidou will not exceed those of US GPS," Liu was quoted in the report as saying. He said each chip will likely be sold for around 100 yuan ($15). Although the country hopes to commercialize the Beidou project so it can compete with foreign systems, industry insiders took the experts' comments with a pinch of salt. Xiao Xiongbing, deputy director of the consultation office with China's Association of Global Navigating Satellite Systems, told China Daily it is unlikely that the price of chips will be as low as Liu hopes without government subsidies. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Second satellite system now under construction

China started building a new global satellite navigation system in the Liangjiang New Area of Chongqing that will be known as the Beidou (pinyin of compass), according to reports. It is expected to be completed by 2020 and do about 50 billion yuan ($7.6 billion) in business a year, according to China National Radio. The Beidou Navigation Satellite System was created in China and is the third independently operated satellite navigation system in the world, following the US and Russia. Since the first system went into use in 2003, it has been successfully used for mapping telecommunication, water conservancy, traffic and transportation. (Further details in source: Global Times )

China and ESAC Exchange Experience on Satellite Instrument Calibration and Science Operations

About 40 scientists from China, the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) and its member nations gathered in Madrid from March 7th to 8th to participate in the China-ESAC astronomic satellite instrument calibration and science operations workshop. Planned at the China-ESA space science bilateral meeting in 2010, the workshop aimed to optimize the Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) Project based on the needs of instrument calibration and science operations. (Further details in source: CAS )

EU wants better space cooperation with China

The European Union announced that it wants to improve cooperation with China on space exploration and technology. EU Industry Commissioner Antonio Tajani said the space initiatives should become an integral part of EU foreign policy, making it all the more important to improve cooperation with China, which has a rapidly developing space policy. The EU said it wants to develop its links in the field of satellite navigation. China launched its first manned flight in 2003 and plans an unmanned moon landing next year and a space station later. Within years, it has become a major player in space technology, while the EU has lost some its edge over protracted political haggling related to its Galileo satellite navigation system. Now the European Commission wants to boost the industry again to increase economic output. (Further details in source: China Daily )

China maps the world

26 China's Beidou satellite navigation system (also known as COMPASS), a potential competitor to the US Global Positioning System (GPS), has been fast-tracked following the announcement of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15). According to the Xinhua News Agency, the Beidou-II system will involve more than 10 satellites by 2012, covering the Asia-Pacific region. The global navigation system, which consists of 35 satellites, is planned to be completed by 2020. After years of study and experiment, the first two satellites, Beidou-1A and 1B, were successfully launched into geostationary orbit in 2000 and began offering navigation and positioning services in late 2001. The successful launch of the backup satellite in 2003, the Beidou-1C, marked the completion of the Beidou-1 project. The service became available to civilians in April 2004, making China the third country, after the US and Russia, to deploy an operational satellite navigation system. France, the EU, and Japan also have plans for regional navigation networks. Beidou is classified as an "active system," as users have to broadcast data rather than simply receive their position. (Further details in source: China.org )

China launches 8th satellite for global navigation

China successfully launched its eighth orbiter which will form part of its indigenous satellite- navigation and -positioning network. A Long March-3A carrier rocket carrying the "Beidou," or Compass, navigation satellite took off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province. It will join seven other satellites already in orbit to form a network which will eventually consist of more than 30 satellites. The launching of the satellite marks the establishment of a basic system for the navigation and positioning network, said an unidentified spokesperson for the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. China will launch more satellites within the coming two years to finish a regional network to provide navigation services with high precision and credibility for industries and sectors such as mapping, fishery, transportation, meteorology and telecommunication, in the Asia-Pacific regions, the spokesperson said. The network is scheduled to be able to provide global services by 2020. (Source: China Daily ) ______

People

A new approach brings China and EU closer

Although many Chinese scientists have studied and worked in Europe over the last thirty years, very few Europeans have made the reverse trip. The Science and Technology Fellowship Programme China (STF China) has been set up to redress the imbalance by funding young European researchers to work in China. Over 140 Chinese and European researchers and officials joined together to celebrate the success of the first two years of the STF China Programme at a symposium in Beijing on March 17/18. The conference was opened by speeches from Ms Carmen Cano, deputy head of the EU Delegation to China and Mr Clemens Smolders, lead expert of the STF Programme. The 30 Fellows in the first STF intake came to China in April 2009 and after six months of intensive language and cultural training at Beijing Foreign Studies University, spread out all over China to work in some of the country's leading institutions including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Nankai University. In addition, most of the 30 STF1 Fellows intend to return to work in Europe, but all intend to retain strong links and cooperation with China and, indeed, three of them have decided to continue their careers in China after the end of the STF1 Programme. The second intake of 30 Fellows finished their language and culture training at end of November 2010, and have just begun their research work. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Peking University's plan stirs questions

27 Peking University, one of China's most prestigious universities, plans to roll out a controversial program in May that arranges consultations for "troublesome students", including those with "radical thoughts". The program would concern 10 categories of students, including those who have a poor academic performance, are addicted to the Internet, come from poor families, have a severe disease, or have radical thoughts, according to a notice on the university's website. The focus is mainly on students who frequently fail exams or encounter difficulties in their studies, Zha Jing, deputy director of the university's student work department, told the Beijing Evening News. "We try to discover the reasons for students' poor academic performance in order to help them successfully complete their courses," Zha said. A trial of the program began in November and is nearing its end at the university's Yuanpei College and Health Science Center. About 10 students from Yuanpei College have been enrolled in the consultations, the Beijing Evening News reported. The policy has stirred heated public debate. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Talent Pool at Zhongguancun

Not long ago, 15 government agencies, including the CPC Central Committee Organization Department, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, and Beijing Municipal Government, jointly issued a document on establishing a talent pool for the Zhongguancun National Innovation Park. The document points out that during the period of 2011-2015, Zhongguancun shall gather together high caliber talents from overseas, and build a talent pool featured with think tanks, innovative institutional mechanisms, active S&T innovations, and the rapid development of emerging industries. The document proposes a range of missions for building the talent pool, including gathering academic leaders and S&T innovation elements, creating an innovation platform for high caliber personnel, establishing a support system for high caliber personnel creating their own businesses, building an industrial environment up to the international standard, and improving the system that provides services for high caliber personnel. The document also defines some applicable policies, including making some S&T, R&D, and industrial projects available for the talent pool, simplifying the investment and foreign exchanges procedures, introducing advanced training modes for turning out innovative personnel, providing the needed logistic support for the high caliber personnel recruited from overseas. The Beijing Municipal Government has planned to build apartment buildings for 10,000 talents. (Source: MOST )

China Needs More Nuclear Fusion Talents

Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) recently announced that it will establish a national design panel for magnetic confinement fusion reactors at the University of Science and Technology of China, in a move to provide the needed design blueprint for building China’s own fusion reactors when conditions are ripe. CAO Jianlin, Chinese Vice-Minister of Science and Technology said MOST has, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and China National Nuclear Corporation, issued a guide on training nuclear fusion talents, in an attempt to advance the study of magnetic confinement fusion in the country, meet the needs of ITER, and learn from the experience derived from the previous ITER activities. MOST proposes to bring out some 2,000 nuclear fusion scientists and experts in 10 years. In addition, efforts will be made to gather together nuclear fusion specialists from other talents programs, including “thousand talents program” and “Cheung Kong Scholars Program”. (Source: MOST )

Returned Students Supported for Business

28 The CPC Central Committee Organization Department and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security jointly issued a by-law to support returned oversea students launching their own business, the first of its kind in the country. At this point, a policy system designed to encourage overseas Chinese students to return, to serving the country, and to launch their own business in the country has taken shape. According to the by-law, the returned overseas Chinese students launching their own business in the country is defined as the returned overseas Chinese students establish their own business with patents, S&T findings, or proprietary technologies. Such business shall either be headed by the returned overseas Chinese student as the legal representative, or financed by the student’s proprietary fund (including technology shares) or by overseas venture capital at a sum of no less than 30% as a proportion of the total stock holding. (Source: MOST )

Young Scientific Researchers Tend to Job-Hop

More young scientific researchers have started or are planning to begin a new career. This is due to the greater pressure in daily life and lack of promotion, the China Youth Daily reports. Although their working conditions and salaries are much better than before, fewer are willing to dedicate themselves to scientific research, said Chang Wenrui, member of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Their reasons for job-hunting are quite understandable, said Chen Kai, a researcher at Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica attached to CAS. Compared to enterprise employees, payment for scientific researchers is relatively low. It is also difficult to get a promotion. Researchers must publish a significant number of their theses and make notable achievements before getting promoted. But for many basic disciplines it takes many years of hard work to achieve a breakthrough. Chang Wenrui suggests the government create more favorable policies for researchers to give talented people a greater sense of mission, responsibility, and dedication. (Source: CAS )

China's Higher Education Students Exceed 30 Million

China's higher education institutions of various forms had about 31 million students in 2010, an increase of 35 percent compared to 2005, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on March. 10. The NBS disclosed in its series report that in 2010, China's higher education institutions of various forms had about 31 million students, about 8 million more than in 2005 and about 1 million more than the planned scale, indicating an increase of 35 percent. The enrolment of undergraduate students and students at the junior college level reached about 22 million, an increase of 43 percent compared to 2005. There were about 1.5 million postgraduate students and about 5.4 million adult undergraduates and college students, increasing by 57 percent and 23 percent respectively compared to the previous year. In 2010, the gross enrolment rate in China's higher education reached 27 percent, an increase of nearly 6 percent compared to 2005. The figure is almost 2 percent higher than the planned goal. The education level of teachers in full-time colleges and universities continued to rise while the scope of higher education is expanding. In 2010, the proportion of teachers in full-time colleges and universities holding graduate degrees stood at more than 57 percent, an increase of nearly 17 percent compared with 2005. This figure in normal universities and colleges of undergraduate courses is nearly 68 percent, an increase of nearly 21 percent compared with 2005, and in higher vocational colleges, the proportion stood at more than 32 percent, an increase of more than 15 percent compared with 2005. A total of 36 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 33 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering entered colleges and universities during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, accounting for more than 56 percent and nearly 41 percent of the total number of new teachers in colleges and universities, respectively. There were a total of 310 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and 278 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in Chinese colleges and universities in 2010, accounting for nearly 44

29 percent and more than 37 percent of the total number of teachers in Chinese colleges and universities, respectively. According to sources, by 2010, China selected and supported a total of more than 1,800 members of the "Chang Jiang Scholars Program," which includes distinguished professors and chair professors worldwide. The country cultivated and supported 391 high-level innovation teams and 5,643 new-century excellent talents as well as more than 100,000 young teachers. (Source: CAS )

China to attract more overseas talents

China will make more efforts to attract specialized talents from both home and abroad and bring these new talents into full play, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said. Li Yuanchao, head of the Organizational Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during a visit to Zhongguancun, a technological development base in Beijing which is dubbed as "China's Silicon Valley". Li said efforts should be made to build Zhongguancun into a base for attracting talents and encouraging technological innovation. Li said that the area's world-renowned science parks should explore new means and strategies to attract talents from overseas. (Source: China Daily ) ______

Research infrastructures

Huge telescope on the agenda

China will start construction on a 500-meter aperture spherical telescope, the largest in the world, in Southwest China's Guizhou province, said Yan Jun, head of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Costing some 700 million yuan ($106 million), the telescope will stand in a huge natural hole, the Karst depression, which is as large as 30 football fields, said Yan, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He said the Karst valley in Pingtang county of Guizhou province is the perfect place to build the huge bowl-like astronomical instrument. The project is expected to be completed in five years, he said. Once the telescope is put into use, astronomers will be able to observe things that are believed to be 11 billion light-years away, or on "the edge of the space", he said. It will help astronomer observe galaxies and pulsars and find answers to questions about the origin of the universe and similar topics, Yan said. Foreign astronomers and scientists are welcome to use the facility, he said. (Further details in source: China Daily )

China pours billion into rainmaking

China will launch the country's first regional program to artificially enhance precipitation in its northeastern area in an attempt to guarantee the wheat harvest there, says a senior official. "More than 1 billion yuan ($150 million) will be invested and the program will gradually be expanded to cover the Northwest, South, Southwest and East China," said Wang Guanghe, deputy director of the artificial weather intervention center under the China Meteorological Administration. Wang said three planes with advanced cloud-monitoring equipment will be bought for 300 million yuan to enhance the weather intervention capacity in Northeast China. The aircraft will be made in China. And an experimental zone, with advanced radars and automatic rainfall stations that will test the precipitation enhancement results, will be set up. In addition, a national command center for weather intervention will be established, Wang added. (Further details in source: China Daily )

Sea floor observatories to give quake warnings

30 Shanghai has started work on a sea floor observatory network in the East China Sea to monitor for earthquakes and tsunamis, local science officials said. The 40 million yuan (US$6.1 million) network, which will also check the marine environment and biological safety, will be complete within five years. Sea floor seismometers will be included in the network to enhance the city's earthquake detection system in the East China Sea, which has the biggest impact on Shanghai. Doppler machines will monitor for tsunamis. The Shanghai Ocean Technology Research Center, which was set up for marine research and projects, began a pilot operation last September. (Source: China.org )

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