China announced that it plans to speed up the pace of research on 16 special, key technologies, so as to deal with a number of problems of importance and urgency for the country's strategic fields like information, biology, resources and health as well as some technologies that could be applicable for both military and civilian use.

These technologies are among the most important of all for developing science and technology development and realizing national targets, and they must be accomplished within a certain period of time by making breakthroughs in core technology and integrating resources.

The 16 technologies are core electric parts, high-end general chips and basic software, technology and whole-set process for manufacturing supercargo integrated circuits, new-generation broad-band and wireless mobile telecommunications, high-level digital-condoled lathe and basic manufacturing technology, exploration of large oil and gas fields and coalmine-gas, large, advanced nuclear power plants of hydro-pressure reactor and high-temperature air-cooling reactor, control and treatment of water pollution, breeding of new genetically modified biological species, research and development of major new pharmacy, prevention and control of serious diseases like AIDS and viral hepatitis, large airplane, high-definition ground-monitoring system, and manned space and Moon-probing programs.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2006)