News on China's scientific and technological development.

The Economist has been the defender and protector of the traditional Western economic system for as long as it's been around. That's why they tend to be anti-China since China doesn't follow their view of things. Interesting though since they just opened a section devoted to China which they've only done for Great Britain and the US in it's history. The New York Times has their version for India but that's purely a dig against China.

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t2contra said:

They filter out the positives and spice up the negatives, all the while without giving thoughtful analysis into them.

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The Guardian came out with this story.



The answer is pretty simple. It's denial. You can read the comments to this article and they're hoping China is just like Japan and collapses. Japan is still around and China will still be around if a downturn happens. The difference is China isn't wholly dependent on the US like Japan is. I remember reading in another Chinese forum years ago when one of the Baidu satellite launches failed, the notorious anti-China antagonist in that forum was declaring it a huge blow to China that they couldn't recovery from. China is still launching satellites. And that guy will continue to think like he does because he's in denial. The WSJ wants to portray Chinese supercomputers as not so super. All the things they pointed out really has nothing to do with technology. It's still a supercomputer. Just because they look at it as a prestige project by local Chinese politicians, it doesn't make it out to be less than a supercomputer. If that were true why did the US ban the sale of supercomputers to China if all it was to Chinese politicians was something to show-off? American computer companies could've made untold billions.

The problem with the wsj article is that it draws incorrect conclusions from shallow technical understanding.

RedMercury said:

The problem with the wsj article is that it draws incorrect conclusions from shallow technical understanding.

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They do not even bother to delve into understanding why "Chinese researchers say decisions about how supercomputers are used are often made by local politicians more interested in local development projects than breakthrough technology. "

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High-speed trains may be running slower on the tracks, but the fast pace of research and development in China's laboratories has continued unabated. The latest advancement, experts say, is a simulation facility that can test the durability of a brake system on a train traveling 530 kilometers an hour.

"The speed is the fastest in the world, higher than a similar test procedure in Germany that allowed a maximum speed of around 400 km an hour," Li Heping, a researcher with the China Academy of Railway Sciences, said.

Though the top bracket of China's high-speed trains was lowered for safety concerns to 300 kph, research focusing on increasing speed continues in order to gain a technological advance, researchers said.

Li expects that a domestic procedure to test braking systems at high speed could help Chinese and foreign manufacturers with production.

The procedure, or test bench that provides a simulated experience, was put into operation last month. It set a world record by allowing a maximum test speed of up to 530 kph.

Braking is obviously a key technology for high-speed trains. The test bench up to now for a braking system in China could only simulate conditions of 300 kph.

Domestic train manufacturers had to travel to other countries to test braking on their 380-kph trains, he said.

Officials from the International Union of Railways (UIC), an organization that promotes rail travel and looks at the challenges facing it, are expected to see the facility in May, Li said.

"If our test bench gets authentication from the UIC, manufacturers can use it for experiments and the results will be recognized worldwide," he said.

Located at an academy laboratory, the test bench can simulate various conditions, from extremely dry to raging storms.

China's largest train maker, CSR Corp Ltd, was reported in December to have launched a test train that can reach speeds of up to 500 km an hour.

However, Huang Qiang, academy chief researcher, said that this does not imply that China will develop faster models than the current 380 kph trains now.

"A number of factors determine train speed but research can continue so that we are prepared should the need arise," he said.

Though there's no immediate demand for faster trains, engineers are working on new high-speed models, including one that can withstand temperatures of -40 C which is expected to be put into service this year.

The Harbin-Dalian high-speed railway, which links three provinces in Northeast China, will travel in temperatures below -25 C.

Temperatures below this mark can play havoc with train transport.

For the new model, special steel must be used to prevent cracks, doors must be redesigned to avoid being frozen and stuck, and the train's ventilation and air-conditioning system will have to function without draining power.

Researchers are also looking at how to utilize high-speed trains for cargo as they will be able to transport perishable items just as planes do, he said.

China's high-speed railway network is expected to pass 10,000 km by the end of this year, the Ministry of Railways said in February.

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The Chinese government plans to allocate more than 15 billion yuan (2.38 billion U.S. dollars) from the central budget to the country's National Natural Science Foundation, according to the foundation's director.

"With a focus on both basic and forefront research, the foundation will exert more efforts to boost original innovation and foster science talents, aspiring to play a significant role in supporting and leading the country's social and economic development," Director Chen Yiyu said at a meeting held Tuesday.

China's central budget has been steadily increasing its support for the foundation over the past few decades. In 1986, its investment in the field was only 80 million yuan.

Figures show that the foundation granted a total of 18.275 billion yuan to 34,836 projects out of 153,800 applications it received last year.

According to Chen, the foundation will increase the average financing amount for surface projects, which refer to main projects that are usually led by senior scientists and researchers. Meanwhile, more support will be given to local scientific projects and those led by young scientists.

Chen revealed that a special fund for outstanding young scientists will be set up to support 400 persons every year.

Meanwhile, the foundation punished 24 workers in the science sector for misconduct last year -- part of its strengthened emphasis on credibility.

Wide concerns about academic fraud in the country were underlined by a 2009 survey conducted by the China Association for Science and Technology which showed that nearly half of the workers in China's research institutes, universities, medical institutes and hospitals think academic cheating is "common."

In one prominent case last year, China's Ministry of Science and Technology rescinded the 2005 State Scientific and Technological Progress Award given to Li Liansheng, who was then a professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University, due to plagiarism and fabrication of data in Li's award-winning project.

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China aims to double the value of its e-commerce sales to 18 trillion yuan ($2.86 trillion) by the end of 2015, which would make it the leading market for global e-commerce.

That's according to an E-commerce 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15) that was released on Tuesday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the nation's top industry regulator.

China, with 513 million Internet users, is home to more residents who are online than the United States, according to a China Internet Network Information Center report in January.

"During the 11th Five-Year Plan (2005-10), the growth rate for China's e-commerce sales increased by an average of 250 percent, reaching 4.5 trillion yuan by the end of 2010," the ministry said.

In 2010, about 161 million Internet users purchased 513.1 billion yuan in goods online, an amount making up 3.3 percent of the value of all retail sales in China.

"E-commerce has expanded into various industries such as the agriculture, trading, transportation, finance and travel industries and is merging with China's substantial economy," the plan said.

As online shopping becomes more popular, so do methods of making payments through third-parties online. From 2005 to 2010, the amount of payments made through third-party services increased 60-fold to hit 1.01 trillion yuan.

"Business-to-customer e-commerce will become the main driver of China's online shopping industry," said Ding Jiaqi, an analyst with the domestic information technology research company iResearch Inc.

Websites that allow businesses to sell directly to customers, such as Taobao.com, Amazon.com.cn and 360buy.com, held about 23.2 percent of the e-commerce market last year, having about 179 billion yuan in sales, Ding said.

The company said China may surpass Japan and the US in three years to become the country with the world's largest market for online goods and services.

The research company said 26.5 percent of online retail sales in 2011 were sales of garments and luggage and 24.2 percent were of electronic devices.

The development of mobile Internet devices has also boosted e-commerce. The number of people who had devices that could connect to third-generation, or 3G, networks in China hit 47 million by the end of 2010, and many websites have developed Internet applications for use in online shopping.

The value of online trading among Chinese businesses, meanwhile, is expected to reach 15 trillion yuan by 2015, and such businesses' online purchases are expected to make up more 50 percent of all such purchases in China. The ministry also said the government will encourage large companies to move their businesses online.

Small and medium-sized companies brought in 13.1 billion yuan in online sales revenue last year. The ministry said it will foster the development of third-party purchasing systems online to encourage those companies to adopt e-commerce.

Many small companies have also established online stores for group buying, which enable customers to obtain goods at a discount so long as a certain number of people make the purchases. China had about 4,000 group-buying websites in December, up from 2,630 in January 2011.

"About one million small companies were brought into the e-commerce market through online group buying last year," said Chen Shousong, an analyst with the research firm Analysys International.

"Shopping centers, whole sale markets and supermarkets should create online stores to reduce their costs and develop product-tracking systems," the ministry said.

"E-tickets are something else that the government will place a greater emphasis on to improve the country's public transport system."

Shopping centers and luxury brands have placed a priority on the e-market in recent years. Online trade in luxury goods was expected to have reached 10.7 billion yuan in 2011, showing a 68.8 percent growth rate year-on-year, according to IResearch's report.

The plan also says the ministry is targeting markets overseas.

Even so, there are some difficulties in the market, the ministry said. The new business has not reached its potential for making contributions to the economy, and online shopping services and legislation need to be improved.

escobar said:

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The Chinese government plans to allocate more than 15 billion yuan (2.38 billion U.S. dollars) from the central budget to the country's National Natural Science Foundation, according to the foundation's director.

"With a focus on both basic and forefront research, the foundation will exert more efforts to boost original innovation and foster science talents, aspiring to play a significant role in supporting and leading the country's social and economic development," Director Chen Yiyu said at a meeting held Tuesday.

China's central budget has been steadily increasing its support for the foundation over the past few decades. In 1986, its investment in the field was only 80 million yuan.

Figures show that the foundation granted a total of 18.275 billion yuan to 34,836 projects out of 153,800 applications it received last year.

According to Chen, the foundation will increase the average financing amount for surface projects, which refer to main projects that are usually led by senior scientists and researchers. Meanwhile, more support will be given to local scientific projects and those led by young scientists.

Chen revealed that a special fund for outstanding young scientists will be set up to support 400 persons every year.

Meanwhile, the foundation punished 24 workers in the science sector for misconduct last year -- part of its strengthened emphasis on credibility.

Wide concerns about academic fraud in the country were underlined by a 2009 survey conducted by the China Association for Science and Technology which showed that nearly half of the workers in China's research institutes, universities, medical institutes and hospitals think academic cheating is "common."

In one prominent case last year, China's Ministry of Science and Technology rescinded the 2005 State Scientific and Technological Progress Award given to Li Liansheng, who was then a professor at Xi'an Jiaotong University, due to plagiarism and fabrication of data in Li's award-winning project.

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Too much money is wasted in China, not just in government corruption, it even includes the academic field. Official stats state around 60% of the research funds/budgets are wasted annually. I think this is still a pretty conservative estimation.

I say this become my own father is an engineering professor in China and I always heard about the behind curtain stories.

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China’s AC313 large civilian helicopter recently received a type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

It becomes the world’s first civilian helicopter with an A-category airworthiness certificate to fly in high-altitude regions of over 4,500 meters above the sea level.

AC313 helicopter is developed by the Helicopter Research and Development Institute under Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and manufactured by the AVIC’s Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation.

The AC313, Asia’s largest helicopter, will enter the market in August. The successful development and production of the AC313 marks rapid progress in China’s civilian helicopter technology.

There are more than 23,000 civilian helicopters worldwide, with as few as about 200 ones in China.

In order to improve the situation, the AVIC’s Helicopter Research and Development Institute and Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation have made great efforts to master core technologies for civilian helicopters, and independently developed and manufactured the unique AC-series civilian helicopters.

only 200 civilian helicopters in China ? really ?

antiterror13 said:

only 200 civilian helicopters in China ? really ?

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very plausible, don't forget that low altitude airspace wasn't even opened up to civilians until recently. Plus the cost of a helicopter is still very high. In the states, you just have to be somewhat rich to have a cheap helicopter or cheap aeroplane, but the cost compare to average income in China, you have to be mega rich to afford it. Plus, there's not that many hobbyist in China of this field, there's no cultural or historical sedimentation of civilian aviation in China. But I'm sure, as wealth level increases, civil helicopters will become hotter and hotter in China.