The Zhongke Nanometric Material Co. Ltd., the first company of its kind in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, was inaugurated in its capital city Xi'an recently.
Zhongke is a high-tech joint stock company set up with the approval of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government. The first phase of the company has a designed annual production capacity of 3,000 tons of nanometric zinc oxide, believed to be the most in Asia.
Nanometric technology is expected to become one of the most important branches of science in the 21st century, along with information and biology technology.
One nanometer is only 1/1,000,000,000 of a meter. Nanometric technology will lead to important developments in clinical medicine, computer hardware, environmental protection and other fields. Western countries including the United States are investing big money to develop nanometric technology. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the leading research institution in China, has launched its nanometer science and technology center in a bid to promote the research and development of nanometer materials and technology.
(Xinhua 01/10/2001)