Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology Deng Nan said Thursday that China-US cooperation in science and technology is beneficial to bilateral ties and in the common interest of the two peoples.

Such cooperation has in general been developing successfully and smoothly since the two governments signed their first agreement on science and technology cooperation 24 year ago, Deng said, addressing a conference at the Texas A & M University sponsored by former US president George Bush.

"Today, cooperative scientific and technological activities between the two countries far exceed anything that was foreseen in the 1970s and constitute the largest of such relationship maintained by both countries," she said.

The vice minister called China-US science and technology cooperation an important part of bilateral relations, which helps stabilize and advance the overall ties.

"In particular, during periods of uncertainty in China-US relations, such cooperation remained as an anchor, helped reduce tensions, and renewed desires by both sides to move forward," Deng said.

She termed the cooperation as wide-ranging and large-scaled with fruitful and mutually beneficial outcomes, which she said has promoted scientific, economic and social progress and improved living standards in both countries.

The China-US cooperation in science and technology is obviously fruitful by generating a great number of internationally top-ranked achievements with significant scientific, economic and social values, she said, citing the Beijing Electron Positron Collider, China Digital Seismology Network and China Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station as examples.

But the vice minister also pointed out that there are issues that negatively affect this relationship.

She noted that at times, non-scientific factors impede normal implementation of cooperation and exchanges.

"The restrictions imposed by the US side on cooperation and trade with China in the high-tech area acts as a barrier to the expansion of the science and technology cooperation," she said.

She also mentioned the difficulties of obtaining US visas by Chinese scientists and scholars, saying that it has become another hindrance in the science and technology cooperation.

"Last year, more than 100 scientists and project managers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, including one of its vice presidents, experienced visa refusals or delays," the vice minister said.

Deng made three initiatives to promote bilateral scientific and technological cooperation:

-- To find improved methods to jointly fund cooperative activities. The two sides need to initiate discussions on improved co-funding channels under different administrative systems to help encourage development in the cooperation.

-- To further promote cooperation in areas such as agricultural science and technology, clean energy, nanotechnology, genomics, science education, and information technology identified as priorities last year in Beijing.

-- To jointly participate in major international science and technology programs to enlarge the scale and improve the quality of bilateral science and technology cooperation. She cited International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and other programs as examples.

The four-day conference, entitled China-US Relations: Past, Present and Future, was opened Wednesday and co-hosted by Texas A &M University, the George Bush Presidential Library Fund and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. 
 
(People's Daily November 8, 2003)