Decisions about policies in scientific fields such as farming, genetic engineering and computer technology have in the past been laid down in China's five-year Plans by scientists and the Chinese Government, he said.

The public are now being encouraged to have their say about scientific policy and the direction China should take to develop certain industries, he said.

The change has come about as a result of the rapid development in science and technology in the 20th century which has had a huge impact on economic efficiency, public health, national security, environmental protection and improving people's living conditions.

It is now so closely linked to national interests that as government organs and politicians become more involved in making scientific policy decisions, the public are being encouraged to do so too, according to the official.

Modern science and technology have changed the concept of human beings. Today's technology has completely different features from the old, which was systematic and complex.

Manufacturing and design, once manual and painstaking, is now computerized and moves much faster. When applying more traditionaltechnology, work was needed by groups of people backed by the social infrastructure. New technology is used and controlled mainly by individuals.

The new pace of technology makes its influence more profound - and the damage done when it is abused much greater.

The public are now showing concern about the development trends, speed and scale of new technology and are eager to take part in scientific decision-making.

Co-ordinating the government, scientists and the public has become a hot topic among people in science and technology fields.

Because levels of economic development vary so widely between countries, their historic and cultural traditions and standards of scientific knowledge are different.

As a large developing country, China is facing problems in ensuring the subsistence and development of its 1.2 billion people.

The Chinese Government and its people are more enthusiastic than developed countries to develop modern science and technology to push forward economic growth and social progress, but the nation still has a way to go to catch up with advanced international science and technology standards.

Well thought-out and co-ordinated decisions by the government and scientists can ensure a better economic efficiency and development speed. Because China can learn from other countries' experiences, the risk of making wrong decisions is also lowered.

The Chinese Government has made some headway in guiding the public to participate in science and technology policy making, the official asserted:

-- The first step is to speed up education in science. Currently, 5.5 per cent of people in the 15 to 50 age bracket are illiterate or semiliterate. Developing and popularizing science education is a long-term task faced by the Chinese Government.

Exhibitions, publications, radio and television and even the Internet are being used to tell the public as much as possible about new advances in science and technology and its positive and negative effects.

-- The second step is to pay more attention to public opinion when making policy decisions. China is making progress in making democratic and scientific decisions when the outcome concerns the immediate interests of the public. The government has used many methods to listen to people's opinions through public opinion polls, open debates and discussions. Introducing these methods in science policy-making is under discussion. Debates have been organized in newspapers and TV on biotechnology and social and moral principles so that scientists, sociologists and the public can exchange their opinions directly. The government also carries out opinion polls when planning developments.

-- Thirdly, risk-evaluation methods must be explored. Potential

damage caused to society by the negative effects of scientific development must be considered and minimized with proper measures.

Genetic engineering is a prime example, he said.

The Chinese Government must feed 21 per cent of the world's population with only 7 per cent of the world's arable land. Research in genetics gives a gleam of hope to solving this potential problem and research in the field is encouraged. But at the same time, regulations have also been put in place to strictly limit the experimental planting and production of genetic crops to ensure public health is safeguarded.

(China Daily 12/07/2000)