A quantum communication ground station in Xinglong, North China's Hebei province, on Nov 26, 2016. Chinese scientists on Thursday reported a major breakthrough in quantum communication: A pair of entangled photons over a distance of 1,200 km have been successfully transmitted from space to Earth. The previous record was about 100 km. [Photo/Xinhua] BEIJING - China has made a series of achievements in science and technology over the past month as the country quickens its pace in becoming a leading science and tech power by the middle of the century. China has been a leader in quantum technologies, which eliminate the possibility of wiretapping and secure communication. In early September, it was announced the Beijing-Shanghai quantum communication network has met requirements to open for service. The 2,000-km network, the world's first, will be used for secure data transmission in the military, finance and government affairs fields. The country has also completed a test of its high-throughput satellite Shijian-13, designating it as Zhongxing-16. With a transfer capacity of 20 Gbps, the satellite is capable of providing better Internet access on planes and high-speed trains, as well as in less-developed regions. In a step toward launching a Mars probe around 2020, planners have mapped out a 400-million-yuan ($61 million) development plan to turn a red rock basin in Qaidam basin in northwest China's Qinghai Province into a Mars scientific research base and eco-tourism site. The base is expected to consist of a Mars community and a Mars campsite. The campsite will have a number of experimental module-like accommodations. Underground research has also moved swiftly. Researchers recently acquired hot dry rock (HDR), with temperatures of 236 degrees Celsius, from 3,705 meters below Gonghe basin in Qinghai Province. HDR is usually buried 3,000 to 10,000 meters under the earth's surface. It can be used to generate clean electricity via its high temperatures. The breakthrough means China is a step closer to easing environmental problems related to the greenhouse effect and acid rain. China has made innovation the core of its 13th five-year plan (2016-2020), with the aim of becoming an innovation nation by 2020, an international leader in innovation by 2030, and a world powerhouse in scientific and technological innovation by 2050. We will accelerate R&D and commercialization of new materials, artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, bio-pharmacy, 5G mobile communications, and other technology to develop industrial clusters in these fields, said a government work report issued this year. Such efforts will help the country improve convenience of transportation, raise living standards, resolve energy resource shortages, and boost economic development. Developers said on Wednesday that track has been laid for China's longest high-speed railway at high latitudes, and the railway is scheduled to open in June 2018. Running at 200 km per hour, the 343-km railway linking Harbin, capital of the northeast province of Heilongjiang, and Jiamusi in the same province, runs through four tunnels and over 120 bridges. It will cut travel time to 1.5 hours from 7 hours. On the environmental front, an in-orbit test of China's first orbiting carbon observatory satellite was successfully completed in September. Scientists will convert magnetic signals received from the satellite into visible spectral signals, and then calculate the concentration of carbon dioxide. While development of science and technology promises a better future, it also saves the lives of millions of people today. According to a study published in late August, Chinese scientists have found a compound that helps a tumor-targeting virus kill liver cancer more effectively while sparing healthy cells, offering new hope for treating the world's second most common cancer killer. A therapy that uses viruses to selectively kill cancer cells is rapidly progressing through clinical evaluation, but the therapeutic efficacy in humans has been less than expected from pre-clinical studies, according to the study published in the U.S. journal Science Translational Medicine. China needs science and technology more than ever and the country's scientists should occupy the world's science and technology high ground, said Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The quickest and easiest way to achieve innovation is through a global cooperation network to boost innovation. The G20 Blueprint on Innovative Growth, adopted at the Hangzhou summit in September last year, commits governments to creating a favorable environment for creativity and development. Scientific innovation was also a central topic at the Belt and Road forum in Beijing in May, with China proposing a Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan. A science and technology cooperation network along the Belt and Road will be completed in 2030, Bai said. charity silicone wristbands202mm to inches24 wristbands1 inch wide rubber bandsbatman wristbandprinted bracelets
But cross-Straits business cooperation will bring opportunities, official saysThe Chinese mainland is warning Taiwan authorities that "courting foreign support to build you up will only invite trouble", a spokesman for the mainland said on Wednesday."The Taiwan question concerns China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and the national feelings of the Chinese people," Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news conference."We will never waver in safeguarding China's core interests," Ma said.Asked about possible visits to Taiwan by officials from the United States and the US State Department's approval of a marketing license for sales of military submarine technology to Taiwan, Ma urged the US to abide by the one-China policy and the principles of the three Sino-US Joint Communiques.Any outside forces that attempt to "play the Taiwan card" will find their efforts "futile" and will hurt themselves if they go "over the line", he said.Asked about Taiwan's response to Sino-US trade disputes, Ma said a few people in Taiwan wanted to take advantage of the disputes to do things that were "not upright", and have lifted a stone that will "smash their own feet"."Returning to the right track of the 1992 Consensus and the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations is the only way Taiwan can avoid becoming a pawn of others," he said.Ma also hailed the benefits of cross-Straits economic cooperation, promising that a more open mainland would create new opportunities for compatriots and businesses in Taiwan.He said that the mainland's policy to support Taiwan businesspeople coming to the mainland is coherent and clear, and that if the Taiwan business community seizes the opportunity, it will enjoy better development."Anyone who wants to hinder cross-Straits economic cooperation will fail," he said.Ma reiterated that China strongly opposes the United States selling weapons to Taiwan."We firmly oppose any official or military connection between the US and Taiwan, and also object to any form of weapons sale to the island," he said in response to a question about a bill signed recently by US President Donald Trump that allows for direct contacts between US and Taiwan officials.He added that the Taiwan question is about Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity.Earlier this week, the Ministry of National Defense announced its strong opposition to US weapons sales to Taiwan."China's military has the ability and resolve to defeat all attempts to separate our country, and it will adopt all necessary measures to resolutely defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity," ministry spokesman Wu Qian said.Xinhua - China Daily
