World Intellectual Prop Org: Rise of China as World's Largest IP Powerhouse

[Götterdämmerung]

You do realize that Germans use Standard German/Hochdeutsch to communicate with each other? Otherwise they couldn't understand their fellow countryman. Germans along with Austrians are linguistically less competent than Germanic nations from Northern Europe and the Dutch people. Germans don't even understand Dutch.

BS, I understand spoken Dutch quite well.

German speaking countries are less inclined to master english because the German speaking market is the biggest and most important in the EU and in Europe.

What do you mean that we need to speak Hochdeutsch to communicate with each other? What else do Brits speak but standard Oxford English to communicate insteak of using Mancunian or Scouse etc.?

 

[Shotgunner51]

Anhui Sees Second Highest Patent Growth in China

Pub Date:17-01-03 10:27 Source:www.cnanhui.org

Up to 14,169 patents were granted in East China's Anhui province between January and November, 2016, a year-on-year increase of 48.2 percent, compared to the national average growth of 17.7 percent, according to the local intellectual property administration.

The province ranked seventh in the country by the number of patents, while climbed to the second spot in terms of the year-on-year growth rate.

Statistics also showed the province applied for 84,974 patents during the Jan-Nov period, ranking fourth among 31 Chinese mainland provinces. The figure represented a year-on-year rise of 43.6 percent, higher than the national average of 29.1 percent.

As of November 31, ownership of invention patents per 10,000 people reached 6.32 in the province.

The patent growth was backed by a slew of government incentives. The local government introduced Guidelines on Carrying out Innovation-Driven Development and Building an Innovation-Oriented Province as well as eight supportive documents. Scientific researches, as a result, were stimulated and the number of patents, whether filed or authorized, was on the rise, said the Anhui Intellectual Property Office.

161 national research facilities throughout the province have made great breakthroughs in quantum communications, intellectual speech, new energy vehicles, etc.

According to a national intellectual property index survey made by the State Intellectual Property Office, Anhui was among the top ten Chinese mainland provinces in 2015. Its sci-tech sector contributed to 55 percent of economic growth.

http://english.anhuinews.com/system/2017/01/03/007538734.shtml

 

[Shotgunner51]

Shenyang, a City of Successful Transition from China's Industrial Pioneer to Innovative Manufacturer
News provided by Shenyang Municipal Bureau of News
Dec 29, 2016, 23:09 ET

SHENYANG, China, Dec. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Shenyang, known as the "Oriental Ruhr Area" has been the manufacturing base of China since the 1930s. Very much like its German namesake, Shenyang has a continued history as the most important manufacturing place in China's North East and is home to the aerospace, automotive, machinery, chemical, pharmaceutical and financial industries. Shenyang now finds itself again at the forefront of the tremendous changes in China's manufacturing culture and there is never a shortage of "hard" factors in this city such as new state-of-the-art factories, international schools, modern apartments and high living standards to prove this. Even the monthly average income for its workers is as high as in the capital city Beijing.

Currently the country is facing a tremendous challenge in transforming its manufacturing culture to meet the needs of the future. The Central government in 2015 formulated new goals in the "Made in China 2025" campaign. The rust belt of China so far has managed to cut overcapacity in steel and coal prior to the set targets by the government. Liaoning province alone has closed over 40 coal mines and reduced over 13 million tons of steel capacity. However the central government is only partly providing funds to help the transition of workers from classic industrial work environments into new forms of employment. A huge challenge for the local government that has come up with ideas to smoothly enter into the next phase of the industrial revolution for the region.

Even while other Chinese cities also have made great transitions, Shenyang is more interwoven with its past and its tradition as the industrial revolution's avant-garde in China. Home to eight million people it is one of China's tier-two cities, which are catching up fast and adapting to the new situation. As one of the many efforts to revitalize the region, Shenyang is highly supportive in developing private sector industries. The local government has established a 50 million yuan (7.2 Million Dollar) fund dedicated to fostering the development of private high-tech industries. Qualified companies are eligible to receive tax breaks that reduces their corporate income tax rate from 25 percent to 15 percent. In addition, companies that qualify to obtain high-tech-status also receive a 200,000 yuan (28,750 Dollar) bonus.

One of the city's most innovative entrepreneurs is the Chairman of Shenyang Machine Tool Group (SYMG) Guan Xiyou. Recently he has introduced a new i5 series of intelligent machine tools that can be used in all areas requiring high-precision parts. Already 16,000 units of this advanced tooling machine have been sold.

A few miles away is another one of Shenyang's leading industries, Siasun Robot and Automation Co.. 68,000 industrial robots have been sold in China last year while sales of Chinese companies accounted for about one third. Compared with their sales of last year, in the first six month of this year Chinese companies' sales have already reached 19,257 units, reflecting the importance of the robotic industry for the middle kingdom. Siasun's industrial robots are within the top three by market value and within the top ten when it comes to market share worldwide. Their goal is also to be within the top three when it comes to market shares.

Only one year ago, China has implemented its "Internet Plus" and "Made in China 2025" policies to transform its traditional industries. Shenyang can be seen as a leading example of a successful transition process to improve the economic development of China. The goal to use advanced technologies to help China turn into a green and innovative manufacturing power house can be best seen in Shenyang.


Read the full article at http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...eer-to-innovative-manufacturer-300384157.html

 

[Shotgunner51]

Xi sets targets for China's science, technology mastery
2017-01-10 00:14:46 GMT2017-01-10 08:14:46(Beijing Time) Xinhua English

Chinese President Xi Jinping set the target of China becoming a leading power in science and technology (S&T) by the middle of this century as he addressed a major S&T conference on Monday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses an event conflating the national conference on science and technology,
the biennial conference of the country's two top think tanks, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) ​

China should establish itself as one of the most innovative countries by 2020 and a leading innovator by 2030 before realizing the objective of becoming a world-leading S&T power by the centenary anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 2049, Xi said.

He made the remarks at an event conflating the national conference on S&T, the biennial conference of the country's two top think tanks -- the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology.

Xi stressed the role of S&T as a bedrock upon which "the country relies for its power, enterprises rely for victories, and people rely for a better life."

"Great scientific and technological capacity is a must for China to be strong and for people's lives to improve", he said, calling for new ideas, designs, and strategies in science and tech.​

The conference, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang, was also attended by senior leaders Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan and Wang Qishan.

http://english.sina.com/buz/s/2017-01-10/detail-ifxzkfuh6510143.shtml

 

[ahojunk]

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses an event conflating the national conference on science and technology,
the biennial conference of the country's two top think tanks, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, and the national congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, in Beijing, capital of China, May 30, 2016. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

.
A couple of pictures of the S&T conference where awards were given to top Chinese scientists.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) presents award certificates to physicist Zhao Zhongxian (R) and pharmacologist Tu Youyou, who won China's top science award, at an annual ceremony held to honor distinguished scientists and research achievements in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders, including Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli, pose for photos with the representatives of the awards winners before an annual ceremony held to honor distinguished scientists and research achievements in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)


This group of scientists will contribute to China's WIPO ranking.
Hope to see more women scientists in the near future.


========
China honors top scientists
By Deng Xiaoci Source:Global Times Published: 2017/1/10 0:33:39

Incentives should be given to young scientists: expert

Zhao Zhongxian, an expert in high temperature superconductors, and herbal expert Tu Youyou received the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award for 2016. The award comes with a cash prize of 5 million yuan ($721,000). Photo: China News Service/Liao Wenjing


China honored its leading scientists with top government awards on Monday amid ambitions to become a world-leading power in science and technology.

Tu Youyou, the winner of the Nobel Prize for medicine, together with physicist Zhao Zhongxian, received the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award from President Xi Jinping at a grand ceremony to honor distinguished scientists and research achievements in Beijing.

Pharmacist Tu, 86, is the first woman to have been given the top government award for science in China on Monday. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2015 for her discovery of artemisinin, which is widely used in treating malaria.

Zhao, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), has been dedicated to conducting research on superconductors of electrons for over four decades.

Zhao and his research team discovered the superconductors in liquid nitrogen temperature region in 1987, and he then discovered iron-based compounds as high-temperature superconductors and investigated their traits. That made him a two-time winner of the Top Natural Science Prize, another government award.

Both scientists will get a prize of 5 million yuan ($721,000) each. According to a guideline posted on the Ministry of Science and Technology website, 90 percent of the prize money should be invested in scientific research, with the prize winner deciding the target of research.

Since the establishment of the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2000, a total of 27 scientists have won the award, which is granted to no more than two scientists every year. Last year there were no winners.

The Monday ceremony also honored the recipients of the "three big awards," including the Top Natural Science Prize, the Prize of the Science and Technology Invention and the Science and Technology Progress Award.

Five foreign experts, including Professor Katharina Kohse-Höinghaus from Bielefeld University in Germany and Mexico-based International Maize and Improvement Center (CIMMYT), a non-profit organization that does research on the sustainable development of wheat and maize farming, were honored with the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award 2016.

A total of 279 scientific programs won the "three big awards" this year, a drop in number from last year. In the past five years, an average of 307 scientists or research programs have received the awards per year.

China aims to build itself into an innovative country by 2020, when scientific progress will contribute nearly 60 percent of the nation's economic growth, according to a national science and technology development plan.

Big breakthroughs

China's scientific innovation has experienced great momentum in 2016, as the country achieved remarkable breakthroughs in many key fields, including mobile broadband systems, deep-sea research and spaceflight.

The budget for national natural science stood at 24.8 billion yuan in 2016, an 11.9 percent increase from 2015, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

It is vital for a big country like China to step up investment to drive its scientific innovation, which still lags behind world-leading countries like the US, said Huang Jun, a professor at the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering at Beihang University.

Luo Tianhao, a research fellow at the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, told the media that China is at a turning point in changing its old development model based on an intensive exploitation of natural resources with low efficiencies into one based on innovation. He also noted that more resources should go to education and provide incentives for young scientists.

"As the budget increases, the research atmosphere for fundamental research has been notably improved, especially for the young researchers," Huang told the Global Times.

However, Huang is concerned that some Chinese scientists are still underpaid, and their salaries could only support basic life needs, which prompted them to rush to gain fame, which affects the quality of their research.
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[Shotgunner51]

Patents evidence of China's past, future growth
By Wang Xin ( China Daily ) Updated: 2017-01-12 07:31:37

• SIPO data shows that international patent applications filed via the Patent Cooperation Treaty from China surpassed 40,000 last year, showing Chinese businesses' growing aspirations to go global.

• The country's valid invention patent inventory exceeded the 1-million benchmark last year, meaning for every 10,000 Chinese residents there are eight invention patents. Invention patent ownership per 10,000 residents is a common criterion worldwide to reflect a country or region's proprietary innovation capacity, industrial insiders said.

• The World Intellectual Property Indicators 2016, an annual report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, found that patent applications filed with SIPO in 2015 were almost equivalent to the combined filings of the IP offices in the United States, Japan and South Korea. Industrial design filings in China accounted for half of the world's total in 2015.

Read the full article at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2017-01/12/content_27930916.htm

 

[ahojunk]

Shenzhen to build overseas industrial innovation centers
2017-01-15 09:57 | China Daily | Editor: Li Yan

Shenzhen will accelerate the construction of a number of overseas and industrial innovation centers this year as part of its efforts to ramp up innovation-driven economic growth.

The city in southern Guangdong province plans to build 10 overseas innovation centers in countries and regions where there are abundant resources - such as the US, Canada and Europe - to absorb and make use of the innovative skilled staff located there.

Shenzhen Mayor Xu Qin mapped out the initiative in his government work report on Friday, when the Shenzhen people's congress kicked off.

"We will formulate special plans to support enterprises and organizations, to set up 10 innovation centers overseas to create an international collaborative innovation platform and gather innovative talent from across the world," Xu said, adding that the first four will start construction this year.

"To implement the action plans of Internet Plus and 'Made in China 2025', we also plan to build 10 manufacturing innovation centers in such areas as robotics, 3D printing and new energy vehicles to enhance our capability in high-end, precise and smart manufacturing," Xu added.

Known as the country's innovation hub, Shenzhen has been taking the lead in China in pursuing an innovation-driven economic development model.

Investment in research and development by the city amounted to more than 80 billion yuan ($11.6 billion) last year, accounting for 4.1 percent of its total gross domestic product. The number of its national high-tech companies increased by 2,513 in 2016, triple the growth a year earlier, to 8,037.


*******

Don't worry about Silicon Valley.
Shenzhen Valley may be coming to your city if it is good enough.

.

 

[TaiShang]

These 9 Chinese startups are poised to grab 2017 by the horns

Eva Xiao

9:00 AM at Jan 19, 2017

China-speed: just a few decades ago, this part of Shanghai was farmland. Photo credit: Tech in Asia.

2016 was a roller-coaster of a year for China’s tech industry. The ride-hailing war came to a US$35 million close, virtual reality and live streaming took off, and peer-to-peer lending came crashing down. With 2017 already in swing, the stage is set for another year of excitement.

In particular, as funding slows down in Silicon Valley – 83 percent of venture funding went elsewhere in 2016 – China’s influence continues to grow. Some of the world’s most active lead investors – such as Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners – are increasingly looking east while Chinese startups, such as Didi Chuxing and Ant Financial, raised some of the most notable funding rounds in 2016.

Here are nine startups that could make an impact in China – and the world – this year, and the trends they’re riding on.

The bike sharing war rages on: Mobike vs. Ofo

No such thing as too many bikes? Orange for Mobike, blue for Xiaoming Danche, Yellow for Ofo. Photo credit: Tech in Asia.

Transportation continues to be one of the hottest areas in China’s tech scene, with Mobike and Ofo racing head-to-head in the bike sharing industry. The two companies raked in a total of more than US$250 million in financing last year, according to the Tech in Asia database – and more capital is expected to flow in 2017.

In fact, four days into the new year, Mobike announced a US$215 million series D round led by Tencent that will help push its business beyond Chinese borders into Singapore.

Both Mobike and Ofo help users find and rent nearby bikes – bright orange and yellow, respectively – with dirt-cheap prices of less than US$1 per half hour of riding. As is common in China, so far the two archrivals are competing mainly on execution, not so much on product or service. Like ride-hailing and O2O food delivery, capital will probably still be one of the main factors behind who wins and who fails.

Mobike counts Sequoia Capital and Tencent among its investors, whereas Ofo is backed by Chinese unicorn Xiaomi and ride-hailing startup Didi Chuxing. Both sides have a lot of cash, which should come in handy as it’s not clear how profitable – if at all – the bike sharing business is. This year could decide the fate of both companies.

Precision health from China’s biotech unicorn: ICarbonX

Wang Jun, founder and CEO of ICarbonX. Photo credit: ICarbonX.

Shenzhen-based company ICarbonX rose into the spotlight last year when it became a unicorn less than a year after being founded. The ambitious biotech startup wants to build a one-stop platform that crunches all kinds of data, including genetic information and blood samples, to provide health-related insights and recommendations.

It’s a daunting vision, but ICarbonX has the money and talent to back it up. The company is led by Wang Jun, who previously cut his teeth as the co-founder and board member of Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), a world-renowned genetics research center. Last April, the company pulled in US$145 million in a series A round led by Tencent.

So far, ICarbonX has spent its money – US$400 million of it – on its Digital Life Alliance, a cohort of biotech companies that will pool resources and talent for ICarbonX’s massive platform. Earlier this month, ICarbonX added seven companies to the alliance, including SomaLogic, a US company that measures and monitors proteins, and HealthTell, whose technology offers real-time monitoring of users’ immune systems.

China is a world leader in genetics research. Last year, Chinese researchers were the first to inject genetically edited genes into an adult human using CRISPR technology (which lets geneticists edit parts of the genome). Now, Chinese companies are venturing into the space as well. ICarbonX, with its pedigree and powerful backing, will be a startup to watch in this space.

Live streaming grows up: Inke

Inke, founded in 2015, rose to the top as one of the most popular live broadcasting apps. Unlike more established players, such as YY, Inke is mobile-first, which means users can casually live stream through their phones instead of their computers. This year, Inke, along with other top players, will have to prove whether or not the industry can sustain itself beyond the hype.

Ecommerce is one possibility. In an interview with Chinese news outlet Sina Tech, Inke founder Feng Yousheng noted that the app’s live streaming hosts funnel as many as 50 percent of their fans to Weibo, WeChat, and other channels in order to sell products and monetize. On ecommerce sites, such as Taobao and JD, live shopping has already taken off, with the former claiming conversion rates of 32 percent.

This year could see more concerted efforts by live streaming startups, such as Inke, to tap into ecommerce and monetization beyond virtual gifts.

Dive into computer vision: SenseTime, DeepGlint, and Face++

SenseTime’s face clustering algorithm. Photo credit: SenseTime.

News around artificial intelligence is typically dominated by large tech firms, such as Google and Facebook. In China, search giant Baidu leads various research initiatives dedicated to deep learning, big data, AI, and most recently, augmented reality.

But a number of Chinese AI startups are filling the niche left in the wake of big tech corporates. In particular, computer vision, a subset of artificial intelligence, is proving to be a place where startups can shine.

Face++, a Beijing-based startup, services a number of well-known clients with its facial recognition technology, including Lenovo and Didi Chuxing. For Ant Financial, Alibaba’s finance affiliate, Face++ powers the “Smile to Pay” feature in its mobile payment app, Alipay. Hong Kong-based computer vision startup SenseTime has also seen its facial and image recognition technology embraced by a number of big-name clients, such as Huawei, Xiaomi, and UnionPay.

That’s because applications of computer vision are diverse: biometric authentication for fintech, object detection for autonomous driving, OCR for extracting text from images. DeepGlint, a Beijing-based startup backed by Sequoia Capital and ZhenFund, uses computer vision to help monitor crowds.

As the need for computer vision continues to increase, these startups will have more clients – and more relevance than ever.

New solutions in virtual reality: Pico VR

Pico’s latest headset, the untethered Pico Neo CV. Photo credit: Pico.

When it comes to VR hardware, Chinese startups, such as Baofeng Mojing, tend to take the well-worn path of producing cheaper – and usually lower quality – equivalents of international companies such as Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

But Pico VR is on to something different. Last year, the Beijing-based startup launched the Pico Neo, a unique solution that put the gadget’s smart hardware in the controller instead of weighing down the headset. Last week at CES, the Beijing-based startup debuted its latest headset, the Pico Neo CV, a fully untethered headset with complete positional tracking.

We look forward to seeing what other products Pico comes up with this year.

Ant Financial: IPO finally?

Photo credit: Alizila.

Alibaba’s finance arm, Ant Financial, is one of the most influential players in China’s fintech scene. Its mobile payment app, Alipay, boasts 450 million users and hit a record of 1 billion transactions in one day last year.

In addition to mobile payments, Ant Financial also offers other financial products, such as a personal savings fund and loan services. In 2016, the company raised a whopping US$4.5 billion series B, one of the largest funding rounds in China that year.

2017 could be the year that Ant Financial, valued at US$60 billion, goes public. Last October, Jack Ma, who controls both Alibaba and Ant Financial, said that the fintech company was planning to IPO, though where and when it would list was undecided. Around the same time, Ma also announced Ant Financial’s new CEO, Eric Jing, who would oversee the company’s IPO.

According to sources at Reuters, Alibaba’s financial arm wants to ensure its listing is followed by growth and may have to hit certain targets before then. Though investors may have to wait until late 2017 to cash in, it’s worth keeping an eye on Ant Financial as it marches towards the stock market.

Currency converted from Chinese yuan. US$1 = RMB 6.83.

 

[TaiShang]

Chinese invention patent applications rank first in world for 6 consecutive years

(People's Daily Online) 13:48, January 20, 2017

(file photo)

By the end of December, China had received a total of 1.34 million invention patent applications in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 21.5 percent, said Hu Wenhui, spokesperson for China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), at a press conference in Beijing on Jan. 19. In fact, China has received the most appplications each year of any country in the world for six consecutive years, China News Service reported.

Statistics show that SIPO granted 404,000 invention patents in 2016, of which 302,000 were for domestic inventions, up 14.5 percent. Huawei took the lead in the number of invention patent applications, while State Grid ranked first in the number of invention patents granted.

China's domestic invention patents exceeded 1 million by the end of 2016, making it the third country in the world to claim this achievement. The first two countries are the U.S. and Japan, noted Gong Yalin, director of planning at SIPO. The number of domestic invention patents is widely recognized as an important index to evaluate a country's innovation level.

SIPO also received 45,000 international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty in 2016, an increase of 47.3 percent. China has applied for 4,843 patents in 18 countries along the Belt and Road route, and has received 3,697 international patent applications from countries along the route.

Hu pointed out that in certain technical fields, there is a gap between the number of domestic invention patents and international invention patents granted in China. Compared to developed countries, China still lags behind in overseas patents.

***

Thread opened last year on this same issue:

https://defence.pk/threads/china-tops-patent-application-list-for-5th-consecutive-year.427278/

 

[django]

Very impressive indeed.

 

[Shotgunner51]

Chinese invention patent applications rank first in world for 6 consecutive years

(People's Daily Online) 13:48, January 20, 2017

Now 6 years in a row, good, tech is the only way to advance any nation. Looking forward, China's overall lead is expected to even further widen in following years if not decades, see the trend for top 5 nations/regions (China, US, Japan, South Korea, Germany/EPO, top 5 combined share 82.5% of world total patents).

 

[Shotgunner51]

China Pools 100 Billion Yuan Internet Investment Fund
2017-01-22 16:27 chinadaily.com.cn Editor: Li Yan ECNS App Download

A representative of Huawei introduces Kirin 960 processor during a release ceremony of world leading internet scientific and technological achievements at the 3rd World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang province,
Nov. 16, 2016. (Photo/Xinhua)​

The Chinese government launched a 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) internet investment fund on Sunday, as the country works to strengthen its edge in the changing economy.

• Six strategic partners, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), CITIC Guoan Group, China Post Insurance and three giant telecom operators, have injected the first batch capital of 30 billion yuan, according to Xinhua.

• The internet investment fund, approved by the State Council, is co-sponsored by the Cyberspace Administration and Ministry of Finance.

• By bankrolling outstanding internet companies, the fund aims to foster innovation within the sector through a market approach.

• State-owned bank ICBC, National Development Bank and Agricultural Bank of China pledged a combined 150 billion yuan credit as venture loans, said Xinhua.

Read the article at http://www.ecns.cn/business/2017/01-22/242866.shtml

 

[TaiShang]

Rocket designers set crosshairs on new air purifiers
China Daily, January 26, 2017

Chinese carrier rocket designers are using their knowledge and expertise to tap into the public's demand for fresh and clean air.

The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology in Beijing, a major developer of the nation's carrier rockets and ballistic missiles, will soon put on the market an air purifier that developers say incorporates a host of cutting-edge technologies used on rockets.

Beijing Ares Technology Co, a subsidiary of the academy responsible for the development and marketing of air purifiers, has sold 10,000 Alpha-blue air purifiers, developed by rocket designers, to space industry workers and will launch 5,000 sets on the open market after the coming Chinese New Year.

Wang Libo, chairman of Beijing Ares Technology, said on Wednesday that he expects the product to be popular because it has better capabilities compared with other air purifiers of its kind on the Chinese market, while being reasonably priced.

"Compared with other purifiers of its size, the Alpha-blue has a much higher rate of delivering clear air and absorbing formaldehyde in a given period of time because we powder-coat its filter screens with nanoplatinum particles that are widely used in rocket production," he said.

"We also made use of our designers' knowledge of aerodynamics that they gained through the making of rocket bodies and engines to design the air purifier's intakes and outlets to ensure it has better air circulation compared with other products," Wang added.

In addition, composite materials and remote control technologies adopted by Chinese carrier rockets have also been used in Alpha-blue, according to Wang.

An Alpha-blue air purifier sells for 4,999 yuan ($727), much less than other purifiers with its capacity, which usually have a price of at least 8,000 yuan, he said.

"The academy has been transferring its space technologies to medical air purification for many years and has served a lot of hospitals. Now we want to help the public get rid of PM2.5," he explained, referring to the most feared pollutant in Chinese cities - particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5 microns that can penetrate the lungs and seriously harm health.

Several agents have signed contracts with Ares Technology, while the company is also developing a store on Taobao, the most popular online shopping website in China, Wang said.

Zhao Xiaozhuo, an electronic engineer at China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology who took part in the development of the nation's newest Long March 5 and Long March 7 carrier rockets, said he adopted monitor equipment used on rockets for the Alpha-blue that allows users to monitor and control the machine anywhere and anytime.

He added that the Alpha-blue's capabilities have been measured by China's top quality certification firm and the test results show it has better performance than most purifiers on the Chinese market.

 

[Shotgunner51]

Since end of WWII and inception of CoCom (and later Wassenaar Agreement), for decades China's state-owned military industrial complex (MIC) has been running in almost autarky mode with minimal interaction with outside world, domestic and foreign. China MIC covers a wide spectrum of industries with deep vertically integrated supply chain, from advanced materials/chemicals, steel/metallurgical, CNC machining, machine tools, microchips to supercomputing/IT. Such a practice continues after 1979 market reform till nowadays, it's still kept highly enclosed and largely isolated from civilian economy. Now Beijing is institutionalizing a major policy shift:

China Speeds Up Civil-Military Integration to Boost Economy
2017-01-26 08:47 CGTN

The recent move to set up a Central Commission for Integrated Military and Civilian Development, headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has highlighted China's determination to boost innovation and economic growth by applying advanced military technologies in civilian fields, according to experts.

The decision to establish the commission was made at a Sunday meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee chaired by Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission.

The new commission will be the central agency tasked with decision-making, deliberation, and coordination of major issues regarding integrated military and civilian development.

"Over the years, China has put huge amounts of resources into the military industry and accumulated highly advanced technologies, as well as a vast number of talents," Zhou Jinting, board chairman of Shanghai Hefu Group and a long-time observer of civil-military integration, told Xinhua.

"However, the military industry has been a relatively closed field. Through civil-military integration, values in this originally closed field will be better exploited and made full use of, benefiting the economic development of the nation in return."
In Zhou's view, civil-military integration in China is still at its primary stage.

"In the first five to ten years, the priority will be applying military technologies in the civil field, since our military technologies are more advanced than civil technologies in many areas," he said.

"As civil technologies grow stronger, they will be able to help with the military industry. Then the real civil-military integration will be realized."​

Huang Zhilong, director of the Macroeconomic Center of the Suning Institute of Finance, said in an interview with China's Securities Daily that deep integration between groups in the military industry and civil enterprises could bring win-win outcomes and boost investment.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the capital market is also optimistic about the impact of civil-military integration. An analytical report by Huashang Fund Management Co., Ltd believes that the military industry may become the source of China's technological innovation and a leading force for its economic growth. "There could be earthshaking changes in the next three to five years," the report estimates.

Civil-military integration is a national strategy of China initiated by Xi in March 2015, when he called for further integration of military and civilian undertakings that could cover multiple areas and generate high returns.

http://www.ecns.cn/military/2017/01-26/243369.shtml​

 

[ahojunk]

Chinese investors show a growing presence in Silicon Valley
2017-02-03 09:02 CGTN Editor: Li Yan

Chinese investment continues to flow into U.S. tech in record amounts. According to market intelligence company CB Insights, 26 percent of all U.S. startups valued at more than a billion dollars have an investor based in the Greater China Region. And one of their main attractions is Silicon Valley.

In the first nine months of 2016, Chinese investors participated in 160 U.S. tech deals totaling 3.5 billion U.S. dollars and more money is on the way.

At this recent event in Silicon Valley, the Chinese founder of education company New Oriental, launched the A-Plus 100 million dollars' worth fund to invest in U.S. tech startups.

At the Silicon Valley platform known as InnoSpring, Chinese investors poured 100 million dollars into its portfolio of startups last year.

Startups like GLF (GulfMark Offshore, Inc.), which makes semi-conductors that power internet-of-things devices, gets 60 percent of its funding from investors in China.

U.S. venture capital investments in startups have actually dropped as Chinese investments rise.

Xiao Wang, CEO of InnoSpring, said the belief that Chinese investors only want to buy U.S. tech to copy it is outdated.

"China - they have ambition, they don't want to be the second, they don't want to continuously catch up. They want to have an advantage over the next wave of technology innovation, which perhaps new platform like virtual reality, mixed reality, drones, maybe IOT, whatever will become the next dominant platform," he states.

Chinese company IngDan has also opened a tech experience room. You can find everything from a personal purifier to a designer pancake maker to a levitating speaker. IngDan is one of China's largest platforms for connecting startups to a massive supply chain and markets for their products.

IngDan is also a partner in a 50 million dollars smart tech fund that will bring in startups to incubate right next to their showroom.

Shipeng Li, CTO of IngDan, regards Silicon Valley to be the innovation center of the world which they want to tap into. "For U.S. companies they need to tap into China market as well," he stated.

That also means jobs. "We can host like 40 to 50 people here. By helping these startups to success, we can bring more people, create more jobs," Li said.

Li expects their smart tech fund to grow and says it's highly likely they'll launch other U.S. startup funds in the near future.