China to Build Up World-Class Science Parks

China to build up world-class science parks

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua said Thursday that China is going to build up two or three world-class science parks and develop top technology companies in the country.

“China is going to start a new round of investment in science parks to increase the country’s international competitiveness and innovative ability,” said Xu at a national working conference on science parks.

A total of 53 state-level science parks have been set up in China, covering only 0.01 percent of China’s territory and generating more than four percent of the national GDP, the minister said.

In the first half of the year, the output value of these science parks was 1.5 trillion yuan (about 186 billion US dollars), up 26.6 percent year on year.

By the end of 2010, the per capita budget for research fellows working for these science parks is expected to top 150,000 yuan (about 18,500 US dollars), compared with 120,000 yuan (about 14,800 US dollars) in 2004, while the number of these people will make up 20 percent of the total staff,Xu said.

According to another official from the ministry, Zhang Zhihong, 40 percent of the staff working for these science parks hold higher educational degrees, including 106,000 masters and 20,000 doctors.

In 2004, 16,000 students who had finished their overseas studies were recruited by Chinese science parks.