China's Fourth National Conference on Science and Technology held by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council opened this morning at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

At 9:00 AM, top legislator Wu Bangguo announced the opening of the conference, attended by all nine members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Premier Wen Jiabao announced a decision of the State Council to present the 2005 National Science and Technology Awards.

President Hu Jintao outlined major strategic tasks for building an innovation-oriented country.

Hu said China will embark on a new path of innovation with Chinese characteristics, the core of which is to adhere to innovation, seek leapfrog development in key areas, make breakthroughs in key technologies and common technologies to meet urgent requirements in realizing sustained and coordinated economic and social development and make arrangements for frontier technologies and basic research with a long-term perspective.

Raising innovation capability should be given prominence, and the nation's competitiveness should be enhanced broadly, Hu said.

Innovation is the core of the nation's competitiveness and the strategic motif of China's future science and technological development. The practice of the world's science and technological development shows that it is only with strong innovation ability that a country can win the initiative in international competition, Hu said.

The real core technologies cannot be purchased but can only be achieved by innovation, which should be given priority in the whole science and technological work, he said.

Raising the capability of innovation must center on serving the economic and social development and try best to tackle major issues in the field which hamper the economic and social development, Hu said.

Technologies relating to energy resources, water resources and environment protection should be developed as priorities. Grasping the intellectual property rights of key techniques in equipment manufacturing and information industries should be regarded as breakthrough points in raising competitiveness, he said.

Boosting manufacturing and information industries, raising agricultural production capability, making breakthroughs in energy exploration, technologies of energy-saving and clean energy resources and optimizing energy structure should be goals to achieve in science and technological development, he said.

The goals also include developing a recycling economy, making breakthroughs in pharmacy and key medical equipment, developing technologies for national defense, and building up advanced scientist groups, research institutions and enterprises, Hu said.

To encourage the innovation of the entire society and turn the scientific and technological achievements into productive forces are important tasks of building up an innovation-oriented country, Hu said.

"The government would play a leading role in the scientific and technological innovation, while the basic role of market will be given a full play in the scientific and technological resources allocation," he said.

"Companies are important in innovation, but research institutes and universities across the country would assume a key and leading role," he said.

Hu also stressed the combination of military and civil scientific and technological resources and the combination of central and local innovative forces.

"Innovation-related laws, regulations and scientific and technological development plans should be improved," he said.

"A favorable mechanism should be established to enable science and technology to accelerate social development, and in turn, the society should increase investment in the scientific and technological innovation spheres," he added.

He encouraged the sharing of scientific and technology resources among various departments.

Hu also called for the creation of a favorable financial environment for companies to involve themselves in innovation.

Hu said that talented people are the key to successful scientific innovation, adding that China will continue to build up its national talent pool.

An incentive mechanism should also be established to increase innovation efficiency and to provide more opportunities for talented young people. China will also recruit more overseas talents, and encourage overseas Chinese graduates to start businesses in China, Hu said.

China should not only preserve its own cultures but should also open its mind to the cultures of other countries, Hu added.

Chinese research institutes and universities are encouraged to build laboratories and research centers with overseas research organs. China will support enterprises to increase the export of high-tech products and establish research and development (R&D) bases overseas, Hu said.

International enterprises are also encouraged to set up R&D organizations in China, Hu added.

Further, China supports the participation of its scientists in key international and regional scientific projects, and encourages them to join international scientific organizations, Hu said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2006)