China Science & Technology Digest:
April 1-15, 2004

ATIP

This digest summarizes S&T-related articles that appeared in the media ATIP monitored in the first half of April 2004. 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.

China's Patent Applications Lead the World
China has applied for an increasing amount of patents over the years, with the total number standing at three million last year. This places China first in the quantity of patent applications worldwide. According to the State Intellectual Property Office, the number of Chinese applications for Innovation Patents and the Patent of Practical New Patterns led the world in 2003.
Source: China Daily 04/08/2004

Satellite Receives Excellent Reviews
TC-1, the first Chinese satellite with scientific instruments from the European Space Agency on board, has been put into operation slightly more than three months after it was launched atop a Chinese Long March rocket. It is part of the Sino-European Double Star Program. TC-1 is an equatorial satellite designed to orbit for at least 18 months to track space storms and help improve the safety of missions.
Source: China Daily 04/13/2004

China Delivers Satellite Operation Rights to User
China's satellite maker Dongfanghong Satellite Co. delivered the operational rights of a satellite to its end user, the Space Center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The satellite, or Probe No.1, was launched on Dec. 30, 2003 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province for the Center for Space Science and Applied Research under CAS. With its orbit ranging from 550 km to 66,970 km, Probe No.1 is part of the "Double Star Project ". Probe No.1 is the highest flying satellite China has ever launched, and it carries instruments provided by European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Source: People’s Daily 04/12/2004

Ground Cable Line Launched
China Unicom Corp. (China Unicom) has launched a ground optical cable network connecting China, Mongolia, and Russia. In a joint effort with Mongolian Railcom and Russian TransTeleCom Company, the cable is 7,500 km long. By adopting Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) technology, the capacity for the first phase of the cable is expected to reach 622 megabits per second (mb/s). Currently, about 155 Mb/s have already been put into use.
Source: China News agency 04/15/2004

Support for China-Developed WLAN Standard
China has made progress towards the implementation of a domestically developed wireless local area network (WLAN) standard with the release of the first batch of products compatible with the Chinese standard. The Broadband Wireless IP Standard working group (BWIPS), a major player pushing for the Chinese WLAN authentication and privacy infrastructure (WAPI) standard who developed the WAPI protocol, has released the first wireless network card in compliance with Chinese standards. The release of the first WAPI-compatible network card means that Chinese companies have succeeded in developing home made WLAN hardware, a critical step for promoting the Chinese standard.
Source: China Daily 04/15/2004

China's First PTT Cell Phone Now in Hands of Consumers
China's first "Push-to-Talk", or PTT, cell phone has been recently commercialized. The producer, Kyocera China, has developed two models to support PTT technology using China Unicom's network. Meanwhile, China Telecom is also carrying out test operations in Guangdong, Hunan, and Sichuan provinces. PTT phones combine the functions of cell phones and walkie-talkies, while also boasting cheaper telephone fees. The number of users is expected to reach 4 million within a year.
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 04/08/2004

China Develops High Power LED Chip For Illumination
A powerful LED (light-emitting diodes) chip used for illumination has been developed by a Chinese high-tech company, China Fangda Group in Shenzhen. Two to three semiconductor chips of this kind are able to form a high-powered illumination. Usually, over 100 semiconductor chips are needed to make a reading lamp. The Chinese government has listed high-powered LED semiconductors as one of the major scientific and technological research projects during the period of the tenth Five-Year Plan (2001-2005).
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 04/05/2004

Scientists Localize Freckle Gene
Chinese scientists from the Anhui Medical Sciences University in the Eastern Anhui Province have found that freckles are caused by certain genetic variations. Recent study shows that accidental genetic changes in chromosome No. 4 caused freckles in several generations of a Chinese family.
It is said that Chinese scientists were among the first in the world to localize the freckle gene, and the finding marked a milestone in China's research on skin diseases caused by abnormal pigmentation.
Source: People’s Daily 04/11/2004

First Babies Conceived from Frozen Sperm Cells Due in May
China's first two babies conceived from frozen sperm cells are expected to be born in May at No. 1 Hospital affiliated to the Beijing University. A donor's sperm cell, unfrozen, and combined with test-tube technology, has helped the twins to be conceived. Six other women, aged between 37 and 47, are carrying babies conceived from frozen sperm cells.
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 04/11/2004

Researcher Wins Top Scientific Prize in NW China Province
Li Dianrong, from Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was awarded the "Top Scientific Award" in 2004 and a bonus of one million yuan (approx. 120,000 US dollars) for his contribution to helping farmers produce an increased amount of oil from rapeseed. He was credited with more than 30 years of hybrid rape research and his successful development of the world's first hybrid rape strain, the Qinyou-2, that was put into mass production in 1985.
Source: People’s Daily 04/15/2004

Shenzhen to Host High-Tech Fair In October
China's Southern city of Shenzhen will host an international high-tech fair from October 12 to 17, 2004 (http://www.chtf.com/english/index.jsp). The Sixth China Hi-Tech Fair, co-sponsored by 10 governmental agencies such as the Ministry of Commerce, includes technology and products exhibition as well as trade and high-level forums. The exhibition covers information technology, biology, new material, modern agriculture, computer, telecommunication, and network. Last year, the fair attracted delegations from 42 countries and regions, 24,000 visitors, and recorded a total trade and contractual volume of 12 billion US dollars.
Source: People’s Daily 04/09/2004

China Builds First Arctic Scientific Research Station
China has built its first Arctic Scientific Research Station in Norway, Svalbard, and Jan Mayen Islands. The station is a two-storey building that includes a laboratory, office, reading room and bedrooms, and can accommodate 20 to 25 researchers. The construction of the station has already been completed but operations were held back during the Polar Night, which normally runs from late October to the end of February.
China already has two scientific bases in Antarctica, named "Great Wall" and "Zhongshan".
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 04/08/2004

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