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| 2002 in Review series －－ Chinese Achievements in Science |
| CCTV.COM 2002-12-26 13:12:34 |
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Chinese scientists have achieved many successes in 2002, especially in the areas of astronomy, biotech and information technology.
A step forward in China's astronomy research took place following the successfully launching of the unmanned spaceship "Shenzhou III" in March from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu province. With Metabolic simulators, sensors to monitor human physiology on dummy astronauts, the spaceship had all the functions of a manned spacecraft.
"Spaceship Shenzhou III has been launched successfully. It's another milestone for China's space science and technology," commented Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
The statistics received from the returned module of "Shenzhou III" indicate that the space vehicle technically meets all the requirements for carrying a real person into space. With these inspiring results, China is busy preparing for the launch of "Shenzhou IV" at the end of this year, and is expected to carry astronauts in the near future. The exact timetable depends on further test results, climate and the conditions of landing sites.
Wu Yansheng, president of Chinese Institute of Rocket－Carrier Technology, said, "The launching status of "Shenzhou IV" is consistent with the one for manned spacecraft. Its success will be proof of our ability to send manned spaceships into space."
China is also gaining more of an edge in several other high－tech areas.
One of the most remarkable findings by Chinese scientists is the first full draft of the genome sequence of Indica rice, the most cultivated subspecies of rice in China and other Asian regions. The findings will have a positive impact on crop yields and are hailed as a milestone for agricultural research.
"We published this work on the cover because we regard Chinese scientists' work as a landmark. We consider it as one of the most significant paper we had in the decade, We consider it an extremely significant event, not only for China, but also for the world," said Science Magazine Editor Ellis Rubinstein.
At the 7th International Human Genome Meeting in Shanghai in April, Chinese genetic achievements including the efforts in completing sequence of human genome and human diversity project impressed international researchers.
Other than the top－level findings in the genomic research, Chinese scientists are also playing a leading role in the nano－technology. After almost a decade of effort, China has now advanced in nano material.
Du Zhanyuan, director general of Department of Planning, Ministry of Science & Technology, said, "Compare with other areas, the research level in the nano－technology in China is in line with international development. According to the statistics, Chinese is among the top three countries that have the most themes on the nano－technology in 2002."
According to the Ministry of Technology and Sciences, the Chinese government will invest some 240 million US dollars into nanotechnology over the next five years. The injection will be used to build a state nanotechnology base and encourage 50 universities and 20 institutes into related research.
More inspiring news came at the latter part of the year. Chinese chip－makers are able to produce their own competitive computer chips. The Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park announced this information in October, in Beijing. These chips are regarded as China's intellectual property, and mark an effort to break away from the overseas monopoly on computer chips as well as an ending of the awkward situation that China could only produce low－end products in information technology.
These independent research results and scientific creations came after the Chinese government paid more attention to intellectual property protection in science and technology this year.
"We launched series of policies to encourage creativity among scientific researchers by protecting intellectual property, such as giving them financial awards and stock holding of the related products. And these proved to be effective," added Du Zhanyuan.
The Chinese government has poured more than 100 billion yuan （around 12.5 billion US dollars） into the science and technology research and development during 2002, almost 1.1 percent of the GDP, the highest ever in China. The Ministry of Science and Technology predicts that the budget for next year will increase substantially, focusing more on information technology, biotech and aerospace technology.
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Editor: Xiao Wei CCTV.com
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