BEIJING - Wang Junfeng and seven fellow Chinese researchers at Harvard Medical School gave up life in the United States to move to a small island on the outskirts of Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province. "Science Island" is home to more than 10 research institutes and 1,000 top researchers - and an ideal place to focus on their research, they said. In the 1990s and early 21st Century, many Chinese college students flocked to developed countries to pursue studies and professions with the help of more advanced research equipment. In the past two decades, as its economy blossomed, China has attached greater importance to science and technology, making it an increasingly attractive base for researchers. Wang said he came to the island because advanced experimental equipment on steady high magnetic fields was to be built there. It would make China the fifth country in the world to have such equipment. Kuang Guangli, leader of the project, said the team has already made an impact in international academic circles and that the members have made greater academic achievements here than they did in Harvard. SCI-TECH BOOM Experience in China over almost a century has shown that it is necessary to mobilize efforts and resources to concentrate on major tasks. Now the experience is being applied to scientific and technological innovation. Innovation is at the heart of China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), which sets the aims to become an "innovation nation" by 2020, an international leader in innovation by 2030, and a world powerhouse in scientific and technological innovation by 2050. At the forefront of fundamental research and strategic key technologies in fields such as space, deep sea, super computers and quantum communication, China has shown determination and speed, capturing world attention. Over the past year, Chinese have been inspired by landmark achievements in science and technology. Chinese scientists completed all the experiments designed for the world's first quantum satellite a year ahead of schedule, laying the foundation for a hack-proof global quantum communication network. China's supercomputer, Sunway TaihuLight, was crowned the world's fastest computer at both the 2016 and 2017 International Supercomputing Conferences held in Frankfurt, Germany. In early July, China made breakthroughs in the search for alternative clean energy sources by completing a 60-day trial of mining gas hydrates, commonly known as combustible ice, in the South China Sea. "Combustible ice is considered a strategic alternative to oil and natural gas," China Geological Survey Bureau's deputy director Li Jinfa said. "The whole world is looking towards it." In mid-June, China launched its first X-ray space telescope to observe black holes, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts. "I am really impressed with how China is developing its scientific space program," said Arvind Parmar, head of the Scientific Support Office in the Science Directorate of European Space Agency (ESA). "The recent launches of the Dark Matter Particle Explorer and the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale missions highlight China's capabilities and commitment to science as does the range of missions under study for future launch opportunities." China took a major step toward becoming a global aviation powerhouse as its homegrown large passenger plane, the C919, took to the sky on May 5. The flight makes China the fourth jumbo jet producer after the United States, Western Europe and Russia. Last year, China launched its first space lab, Tiangong-2, and sent the Shenzhou-11 manned spaceship to dock with it. Two Chinese astronauts stayed in Tiangong-2 for a month, setting a new Chinese record for space residency. In April this year, China launched its first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, to dock with Tiangong-2, to test space refueling technology, laying the foundation for building the country's space station. This string of achievements shows the innovation-driven development strategy is paying dividends. A report jointly issued by the National Center for Science and Technology Evaluation and Clarivate Analytics said China's expenditure on research and development accounted for 1.42 percent of GDP in 2006 and the ratio increased to 2.1 percent in 2016. In 2016, China had over 1.1 million patents for inventions, ranking the third after the United States and Japan. The latest Global Innovation Index showed China rose three places to 22nd on the list of the world's most innovative nations in 2017, the only middle-income country to join the top 25 innovative economies. tyvek wristbandsblack rubber wristbandscustom made rubber braceletsslap wristbandscheap rubber wristbands24hourwristbands
Artists from Taiwan and the mainland stage a puppet show during the Ninth Straits Forum in Xiamen, Fujian province, in June. Jiang Kehong / Xinhua A growing number of the island's residents ar relocating, lured by new policies, financial incentives and a wider range of opportunities, as Zhang Yi reports. 'Since I opened my first store in Sichuan province in December, the mainland's business potential has exceeded my expectations. I now have four stores, said Ken Huang, an entrepreneur from Taiwan. The 37-year-old owner of a handbag brand was among 8,000 people from the island who participated in a weeklong trade exhibition at the Ninth Straits Forum in Xiamen, Fujian province, last month. Most of the attendees were seeking opportunities to expand their businesses in the mainland and exploring the possibility of trading internationally. Last month, communications and exchanges between people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits continued to rise, despite recent setbacks in political ties. Although tourism and business activity are developing rapidly, high-level communications between the mainland and Taiwan have been at a low point for more than a year. The relationship between the two sides had been developing constructively based on the 1992 Consensus, a formula for relations between Taipei and Beijing rooted in the understanding that there is only one China, and opposed to Taiwan independence. Things changed in May last year, when the Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan denied the existence of the 1992 Consensus, consigning dialogue to the deep freeze. That means the Straits Forum - composed of 21 major trade fairs, symposiums and exhibitions - is now the biggest platform for people from both sides of the Straits to seek career opportunities and better lifestyles. During a speech at the forum, Yu Zhengsheng, China's top political adviser, announced a series of new policies to be rolled out in the coming months to benefit Taiwan residents in the mainland, and help them enjoy the same status as mainlanders in terms of financial and public services. A growing presence The new policies have been formulated as a response to the growing number of people from Taiwan settling in the mainland. According to a report conducted in April by 1111 Job Bank Co in Taiwan, about 700,000 Taiwan residents live and work outside the island, with about 350,000 of them working in the Chinese mainland. Meanwhile, research conducted in March by the Global Views Survey Research Center in Taiwan suggested that nearly 60 percent of Taiwan residents ages 20 to 29 would be willing to work, study or invest in the mainland. Last year, the number of new businesses in the mainland owned by Taiwan residents rose 32 percent, and by February, nearly 4,000 sole proprietors from the island were operating in the mainland. More than 20 new policies will be released in the coming months to help Taiwan residents find their feet in mainland cities.
