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

ATIP

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

Chip: From China-Made to China-Created
Four centers for Chinese produced "China chips" have formed. The Shanghai-led Yangtze River delta boasts the most sound industrial chain and highest level of concentration. Bohai Sea region centering Beijing and Tianjin has an edge in development and brains. Zhujing River delta circling Guangzhou and Shenzhen is China's largest manufacturing and exporting base of information products. With packaging enterprises, Intel and SMIC in Chengdu and Infineon's R&D Center in Xi'an, the chip industry in the Southwestern region has also started. China is forecast to become the world's second largest chip market just following the United States in 2010. But the domestic market share is less than 20 percent and has a number of market and technological impediments. The industry as a whole is still developing and crying for national support.
Source: People's Daily 09/10/2004

China to Speed Up Nuclear Power Construction in the Next 15 Years
China will greatly speed up its nuclear power construction in the next 15 years to achieve a total nuclear power capacity of 36 million kilowatts by 2020, almost four times the current level. Two or three nuclear power plants at the million-kw level will be established per year until 2020 in order to achieve this goal.
Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, the first of its kind in China, started operation in Zhejiang in 1991. Currently, China has nine generating units in operation, with a total installed capacity of 7.01 million kw. The total capacity is expected to reach 9.13 million kw by 2005 when Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant goes into operation in Jiangsu.
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 09/02/2004

China to Launch Three New Meteorological Satellites by 2010
China will launch three new meteorological satellites by 2010, the first of which could be in orbit in October. The three Fengyun-2 batch 2 (FY-2 02) meteorological satellites will be launched with Long March carrier rockets 3A. The satellites will be in synchronous orbit with the earth and operational until 2012.
Since 1988, China has launched six weather satellites, including four polar orbit satellites and two earth synchronous orbit satellites with two of them still in operation.
Source: Xinhuanews Agency 09/02/2004

Gene Discovery Sheds Light on Heart Disease Prevention
Chinese scientists have discovered a gene, called HSG that may play a central and crucial role in controlling and inhibiting the onset of a variety of heart diseases and cancer by inhibiting the proliferation of the vascular smooth muscle cells, or VSMCs. The research team, led by Kuang-Hueih Chen from the Institute of Cardiovascular Science & the Institute of Molecular Medicine from Peking University, found the number of HSG genes was markedly low in the arteries of rats suffering from heart trouble. In contrast, when the HSG count increases in the rat's artery, the VSMC count decreases, thus proving the gene's role as a cell proliferation suppressor.
Source: China Daily 09/15/2004

Changing Scenario: Shanda vs Sina?
Three portals have dominated the Internet in China: Sina Corp, Sohu.com, and Netease.com but the Portal Era is nearing its end. In the past two years, Internet portals have made strategic mistakes such as free short messaging service (SMS) and ignoring their main businesses. The standard of portals continue to go down as netizen numbers go up and the Internet user population changes from a so-called elite class to ordinary people. Service providers such as Shanda, Tencent Alibaba.com, Eachnet, and Linktone are targeting the so-called elite-class.
Source: China Daily 09/15/2004

Dell Builds Second ECC in China
US computer giant Dell Corporation has finished setting up its second Enterprise Command Center (ECC) in Xiamen, South China's Fujian Province, to provide around-the-clock spares and service support to server and storage customers. The Center could Also help Dell take better and faster care of problems for its high-value customers. Dell chose China to build its second ECC mainly for successive high growth of its products in the market. The first ECC, based at Dell's headquarters in Round Rock, Texas (US), started operation in November of 2003.
Source: People's Daily 09/14/2004

World's 5th Beryllium Smeltery Built in NW China
The earthwork of a beryllium smeltery, believed to be the fifth of its kind in the world, has been completed in Fuyun County in Northern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Northwest China. Workers are busy installing and testing equipment at the 50-million-yuan (approx. US$6 million) smelter and operation is scheduled to begin in November. The annual production of the plant is designed at 100 tons of beryllium oxide and 800 tons of beryllium-copper alloy. The beryllium reserve in Fuyun County makes up 70 percent of the total reserve in China. Some 31,300 tons of beryllium ore has been exploited in one mine alone.
Source: Xinhua News Agency 09/13/2004

'Super Rice' Set to Increase Output
High-yielding "super rice," which promises to substantially increase China's rice output, will be planted on 4 million hectares of farmland next year, a 25 percent increase from this year. Last year, 10 percent of the country's rice fields, or 2.66 million hectares, were sown with super rice. It is forecast that within five years, at least one-third of the country's rice paddies will be planted with super rice. China, the world's top rice grower, produced 160.65 million tons in 2003, its lowest point since 1994. China's grain production, including rice, wheat, corn, and other food grain, dipped from a record high of 512 million tons in 1998 to 435 million tons in 2003.
Source: China Daily 09/08/2004

New Super Hybrid Rice Developed in China
Experts at the Zhejiang and Yunnan academies of agricultural science have developed a new hybrid rice, numbered 7954, which is one of the world's most productive varieties, producing less than 18,000 kilograms per hectare. Source: China Daily 09/10/2004

Breakthrough in Grain Storage Technology
A new grain storage technology, which is environmentally friendly and pest free, has been tested at grain depots in Yunnan, Hebei, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Henan. The two core technologies of the system are ozone controlled atmosphere storage and grain mass three-dimensional ventilation to control the moisture content of stored grain.
Source: People's Daily 09/07/2004

CHTF Attracts 21 Countries
A total of 21 foreign countries and international organizations will attend the Sixth China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province from October 12 to 17; there are three more countries represented at CHTF this year than last year. France's three delegations have booked a total exhibition space of nearly 300 sqm to feature some 40 enterprises, making France the largest foreign exhibitor this year. France is said to lead the world in bioscience, telecommunications, space technology, and new energy research. It will promote its recent achievements in wireless communications, software design, and digital processing.
Source: Shenzhen Daily 09/14/2004

China & UK Organize Info-Technology Fair
The UK-China ICT Week, the largest information and communication technology (ICT) event ever organized by the British and Chinese governments, opened in Shenzhen alongside in other cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou on Monday. Led by British e-Commerce Minister Stephen Timms, the largest ever group of UK high tech ICT companies will include representatives from more than 100 renowned English ICT companies and the first ever British software delegation to China. The ICT Week is estimated to bring several thousands of high-level commercial and government experts in the Chinese cities, including more than 300 high-level Chinese enterprise officers.
Source: Shenzhen Daily 09/07/2004

Ambitious Zhabei Plans High-Tech Valley
Zhabei District in Shanghai plans to build a multimedia valley to revitalize its economy and improve its environment. Shanghai Telecom and Shanghai Media and Entertainment Group, the city's two IT and media giants, are expected to jointly develop a broadband TV network in the district. Phillips, the global high-tech product maker, plans to move into the high tech park. Nearly 20 firms, including some TV and film-makers, will also move to the District. The entire valley will take about 55 hectares of land, once accommodating many old factories, some of which are going to be relocated in suburban areas.
Source: Shanghai Daily 09/06/2004

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