Innovation bill

China's top legislature recently adopted an amendment to the Law on Science and Technology Progress, which aims to create a better environment for innovation.

The law for the first time allows scientists to report failures during the process of innovation without harming their record during future funding applications.

"The country encourages scientists and technicians to freely explore innovation and bravely shoulder risks," reads the bill.

Scientists and technicians who can provide evidence that they have tried their best will be tolerated if they fail to achieve their goals in high-risk research, the law says.

Li Yuan, an official with the National People's Congress Law Committee says: "the law will help create a relaxed academic atmosphere enabling scientists and technicians to take scientific risks."

The amendment will take effect on July 1, 2008.

Confiscated publications

China confiscated about 149 million pornographic, pirated and unauthorized publications in 2007, the national anti-pornography and anti-piracy office said in a recent press briefing.

Of the confiscated publications, there were 3.72 million pornographic publications, 3.2 million illegal newspapers and magazines, 3.36 million smuggled discs, and 136 million pirated publications, according to the National Office for Cleaning Up Pornography and Fighting Illegal Publications.

Law enforcement departments investigated more than 31,000 cases involving the production, sale and distribution of illegal publications in the past year, including 667 criminal cases.

In a special campaign to fight harmful online information, 44,000 domestic websites and 14,000 websites run by people in other countries and regions were closed for containing pornographic content, according to the office.

Aircraft orders

China's self-developed aircraft, the MA60, recently received new purchasing or leasing orders of 20 aircraft, bringing the total to 116 orders.

The China Aviation Industry Corp I (AVIC1) announced on January 5 that its subsidiary, the Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Co Ltd, has signed contracts with Yunnan Ying'an Airlines and AVIC1 Leasing Company for the purchase and lease of 20 MA60 twin turbo-prop planes.

Of the 20 planes, 10 are purchasing and leasing contracts while the other half are orders of intent. The first 10 planes will be delivered in three batches starting in May 2008.

MA60 is the most successful civil aviation aircraft developed by China so far. It has a maximum take-off weight of 21,800 kg and a seating capacity of up to 60 passengers.

Deep-sea vessel

The National Development and Reform Commission recently gave the green light for the construction of an advanced science research vessel for deep-sea exploration.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Oceanology was expected to oversee construction of the new vessel. It will have a weight of about 4,000 tons and be the biggest of its kind designed and built by domestic scientists and manufacturers, according to the report from the academy's website.

The ship would be used for the comprehensive and precise study of ocean hydrography, marine geology and the sea environment. The equipment aboard the ship would consistently monitor real-time environmental and ecological changes in deep seas, says Sun Song, head of the Institute of Oceanology.

The most sophisticated Chinese science vessel now in active duty, the Dayang Yihao, which was remodeled from a Russian vessel in 1994, is 104.5 m in length and 16 m in width. It has a displacement of 5,600 tons.

China currently had a fleet of more than 100 scientific survey vessels.

Man-made sun program

The construction of the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) program will be launched this year, according to the Oriental Science and Technology Forum.

Luo Delong, director Chinese Branch Office of the ITER, or man-made sun program, said at the forum that China joined in negotiations for the ITER program in 2003 and finally has promised to take up nearly 10 percent of the total investment, or 10 billion yuan, including 5 billion yuan as constructing fees.

China will enjoy all IP rights formed in the process of implementing the program and a large group of science and technology talent will be cultivated in order to solve China's energy deficiency problems.

Beijing exports

Beijing is exporting a growing number of products with their own brands and intellectual property rights. According to statistics from the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce, from January to November 2007 the export value of machinery and electronic products came to 25.683 billion yuan, or 58.3 percent of Beijing's total export value, up 31.7 percent from the year before.

Under the municipal government's guide to improving the export product structure, the traditional labor-intensive products have been replaced by machinery and electronics as well as hi-tech products.

 

(China Daily 01/14/2008 page9)

2013-07-17