China Science & Technology Digest:
September 15-30, 2003

ATIP

This digest summarizes S&T-related articles that appeared in the media ATIP monitored in the second half of September 2003. Some articles reference a relevant website to assist readers in obtaining further information. For questions or to request additional information, please send email to ChinaST@atip.or.jp. The exchange rate used for this issue is RMB8.287 against the U.S. dollar.

Nation's Largest Silicon Wafer Plant Opens in Shanghai
Shanghai Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., one of China's largest and most advanced made-to-order chipmakers, has begun trial production at its new silicon wafer plant in Zhangjiang High-Tech Park. With an investment of US$1.63 billion, the plant is expected to produce 27,000 8-inch silicon wafers each month by the end of next year. Its monthly capacity is expected to reach 100,000 wafers in 2006, when full-scale production begins.
Source: Shanghai Daily News 09/24/2003

China's First Marine Satellite Operating Well
HY-1A, China's first marine satellite, has sent back data on ocean color, water temperatures, and coastal zones since it was launched in May last year. Since September last year, the satellite has monitored large sea areas of China, the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic and Arctic oceans, as well as the North and South poles. Developed by the Chinese Institute of Space Technology, the satellite was launched on May 15, 2002 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, in North China's Shanxi Province.
China will develop a series of marine satellites, following the HY-1A, aimed at inspecting color changes in seawater, monitoring the dynamics of the ocean environment, and managing the general surveillance of the ocean environment.
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 09/28/2003

China Opens Polar Research Center
China has established its national research center for promoting polar research in Shanghai. The China Polar Research Center will manage the country's Antarctic research stations, Zhongshan and Changcheng (Great Wall), and the polar expedition ship Xuelong (Snow Dragon). Founded in 1989, the China Polar Research Institute, the predecessor of the national polar research center, is the only organization in China involved in polar expedition and research. So far, 19 expeditions to the South Pole have been completed, and a second expedition team from the North Pole has returned to Shanghai.
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 09/28/2003

China Develops First Solid-Fuel Launch Vehicle
China has successfully test-fired its first four-stage solid-fuel launch vehicle capable of putting small satellites into space at North China's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center by China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp (CASIC). This makes China the third country in the world capable of developing such rockets after the United States and Russia. The newly developed rocket is capable of putting up to 100-kg satellites into orbit around the earth with much less time and effort compared with liquid-fuel launch vehicles. It takes only 12 hours or even less to get ready to launch a satellite using the Pioneer I rocket, while about three months' time is required for a liquid-fuel launch vehicle. In addition, the Pioneer I rocket can be launched from a mobile pad.
Source: People's Daily 09/24/2003

National Base for New Energy Development Established
China's first national base for new energy development and equipment manufacturing has been established in Baoding city, in North China's Hebei province. The base has attracted enterprises focusing on the development of new energy, such as solar and wind energy. The key projects under construction include a 600 KW wind power generating unit, which has drawn close attention from General Electric, and a solar battery manufacturing plant claimed to be Asia's largest. The high-technology base covers an area of 453 hectares. By 2007, four national technology development centers and four national testing centers in the field of new energy development will be added.
Source: China Daily 09/19/2003

China & Intel to Jointly Develop Very Large Campus Computer Grid
The Chinese Ministry of Education (MOE) and Intel signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing on the development of a computer grid that will link 100 leading Chinese universities by 2005 on the China Education and Research Network (CERNET), which will be one of the highest performance computer grids in the world. The grid is expected to have a peak computing speed of more than 20TFLOPS and a storage capacity of more than 500 terabytes, exceeding the size of the world's largest present grid, which is located in the United States.
The ministry will spend 25 million Yuan (approx. US$3 million) in the first phase of the project, which will include completion of the upgrading of the bandwidth of CERNET from 2.5 gigabytes to 10 gigabytes by the end of the year, at (you mean "and" instead of "at", correct?) a cost of 130 million Yuan (US$15.70 million) to facilitate the operation of the grid.
Source: China Daily 09/25/2003

China to Be Part of EU's Galileo Project
The "China-Europe Global Navigation Satellite System Technical Training and Cooperation Center" (CENC) has been established in Beijing (when? Recently?) to train staff and organize bilateral exchange for the Galileo project, an independent European satellite constellation. The Galileo project, proposed (by who? Launched?) in 1999 and involving an investment estimated at 3.6 billion Euros, includes 30 satellites distributed in three orbits at a height of 24,000 kilometers. The EU declared that Galileo is tailored for civilian use only, providing precise global positioning service with an error of no more than 1 meter.
The Galileo project is expected to be completely in place by 2007 and put into business operation by 2008.
Source: China Daily 09/27/2003

CDMA Operator to Offer Java-Based Wireless Service
China Unicom, the country's second largest mobile operator, has formed a strategic alliance with US-based Sun Microsystems Corp. and Beijing ZRRT Communications Technology Co. Ltd to further promote wireless data applications and services based on Java technology. Invented by Sun Microsystems in 1995, the Java technology lets devices of all kinds run just about any sort of program such as Windows 9x, Windows NT, Solaris and Linux. So far, there are 53 telecommunications operators worldwide that have adopted the Java technology.
China Unicom has recruited about 15 million CDMA subscribers so far.
Source: People's Daily 09/28/2003

US High-Tech Firm Fairchild Opens New Chinese Factory
US-based Fairchild Semiconductor has begun the operation of its first plant in China. Fairchild is one of the world's largest suppliers of cutting-edge power and interface solutions to the electronics industry. Total investment for the Fairchild Semiconductor (Suzhou) Co. Ltd is to surpass US$300 million. The factory is Fairchild's first assembly and test facility (pilot plant?) in China. The plant will focus on developing power, analogue, and logic products for the Chinese market, and will manufacture items for other countries and regions in Asia, Europe, and the United States.
Fairchild earned sales revenues of US$270 million in China in 2002 and aims to take in revenues of US$340 million this year.
Source: China Daily 09/30/2003

Rampant Growth in Beijing's Software Exports
Beijing's software exports surged 48.8 percent annually to reach 72.14 million US dollars in the first eight months this year, according to the latest statistics from Beijing Customs. Foreign-financed firms exported over 90 percent of the software that Beijing exported in the eight-month period. Private enterprises, which began exporting software in 2001, reported 2.52 million US dollars in software exports in the first eight months this year. Beijing's software exports have maintained growth over the past few years, with 95.64 million US dollars registered in 2002 against 15.95 million US dollars in 1996.
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 09/28/2003

Storage Tek Establishes Subsidiary in Beijing
A world leading storage technology company, StorageTek, has established a new subsidiary in Beijing to provide back-up services for Chinese customers. The new company, StorageTek (China) services Co. Ltd, will be engaged in research and development of hardware and software and will provide backup and training services for customers.
Created in 1969 in the United States, StorageTek now provides storage solutions, including discs and tape systems, to 17,000 customers in more than 50 countries and regions in the world. After entering China in 1998, the company has set up subsidiaries in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
Source: Xinhuanet 09/24/2003

Super Beam Center Planned for Early Cancer Detection
China is planning to build the country's first major light facility in Shanghai's Zhangjiang High-Tech Park during the next five years. When completed, the facility, known as "Shanghai synchrotrons radiation facility," is expected to help detect cancer in patients in the very early stages. It will use "synchrotrons radiation" technology to create the super beams by accelerating electric particles, whose lightness is up to 1 billion times greater than a normal X-ray can generate. Jointly proposed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Shanghai government in 1995, the project is expected to begin next August and be completed by the end of 2008.
Source: Eastday 09/20/2003

China & US to Co-Produce ARJ21 Engine
Shenyang Liming Aero Engine Corporation Ltd. and General Electric Aircraft Engines (GEAE) have signed a contract to jointly produce the CF34-10A engine for the ARJ21 regional jet. With 70 to 90 seats, the ARJ21 is an advanced turbo-engine aircraft that can operate medium and short haul routes.
Source: Xinhuanet 09/19/2003

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