Science the driving force of China's economy

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

 ◆ Science the driving force of China's economy

When years ago some Westerners doubted China's ability to feed its large population, they did not see a great potential of its science and technology, Yuan Longping, a Chinese scientist on hybrid rice, said here recently.

The population of China rose by hundreds of millions in the past two decades, with the per-capita food supplies over the same period climbing from 300 to 400 kilograms.

Prestigious agronomist Yuan, revered as the "father of hybrid rice" in China, said China's progress in science and technology has made it possible for the country to feed a population which accounts for 22 percent of the whole of the world living on only 10 percent of the world's arable land.

Xu Guanhua, Chinese minister of science and technology, said that before the 20th century it was production demand that stimulated and decided the development of science and technology.

"But now the process has been reversed," Xu said. "Science and technology is playing the role of a locomotive. It's no longer a derivate of industries."

"The advance of scientific theory has laid a sound foundation for possible breakthroughs in technology," Xu said. "And the growth of science and technology has become a dominant factor leading to the progress of the Chinese economy."

Official statistics shows that the per-capita production value of the country's handicraft industry is worth about 2,000 yuan (240 US dollars) and traditional industries are worth 20,000 yuan (2,400 US dollars), but in the high-tech sector, that figure soars to at least 200,000 yuan (24,000 US dollars) or even as high as millions.

Both officials with the Ministry of Science and Technology and leaders of China's oil industry attributed the development of the sector to the country's progress in science and technology.

China launched a program to speed up its social and economic development with the power of science and technology back in 1982,the first year of its sixth "Five-Year Plan."

Since the launch of the program, the annual increase of prospected natural gas deposits doubles every five years. Currently, China has some 3 trillion cubic meters of these deposits and its annual output has climbed to 30 billion cubic meters.

Before 1982, the prospected deposit of natural gas in China was only 261.7 billion cubic meters and the yearly output was only 14.3 billion cubic meters.