PUBLIC LECTURE

Cooperation for a Green, Smart and Sustainable Future in the Changing World

The Shine Dome, Canberra, Thursday 18 November 2010
RSVP recommended

Professor Lu Yongxiang
President, Chinese Academy of Sciences

To celebrate thirty years of Australia-China scientific relations Professor Lu Yongxiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will be presenting a public lecture at the Shine Dome on Thursday 18 November on the topic of Science & technology for a green, smart and sustainable future.

Professor Lu is currently Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress; President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); Chairman of the CAS Presidium; Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Vice-Chairman of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council; Co-Chair of InterAcademy Council (IAC); President of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society; Professor of Zhejiang University; and Honorary Professor of the University of Hong Kong.

Information about the Chinese Academy of Sciences may be found at english.cas.cn/

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It is my pleasure to join in this special symposium celebrating 30 years of successful cooperation and collaboration between China and Australia. I am very pleased and honoured to be invited to deliver this lecture.

[Slide—with point 1 highlighted:
1 Common Challenges in the Changing World
2 Opportunities & Challenges for China’s Development in the Future
3 The Mission and Tasks of CAS
4 Review and Prospect of Sino-Australia S&T Cooperation]

[Slide—The world is entering a new period of adjustment, changes and innovation ...]

The world is entering a new period of adjustment, changes and innovation. The trend of globalisation, informationisation, networking and the knowledge-based economy is unprecedented, with the rapid circulation of innovation factors; and international cooperation is more extensive and deeper than before. The financial crisis has further exposed the flaws of existing development patterns, and all nations are accelerating the transformation of development strategies.

[Slide—Injecting new impetus to the word economy by the newly emerging economies ...] 

China, India, Brazil and other emerging countries are developing relatively fast. Regional economic partners, such as the EU and particularly the Asia Pacific countries, are accelerating their ties. The pursuit of being well-off by a population of 2 to 3 billion—including in China, India and other emerging countries—is injecting new impetus and vitality to innovation and the global economy, and it is causing new challenges to resources and the environment as well as to the ecosystems of the Earth. The conventional development modes of the world are unsustainable and new modes for development should be sought.

[Slide—S&T on the Eve of Major Breakthroughs ...]

The boundary between basic research and high-technology frontiers is more blurred and cross-disciplinary interaction is more obvious, which is nurturing new science orientations and science and technology frontiers. The demands from society and internal conflicts within the knowledge-system raise new major challenges and it is calling for new, original breakthroughs of science and technology in the energy area, in space technology, in nanotechnology, in biotechnology and probably also in cognition science and so on. Progress in new science and technology—particularly in energy, materials and information technology as well as life sciences and biotechnology—will lead us to a green, smart and sustainable era, with a new horizon of emerging industries and the restructuring of our economy. The economic recession and efforts for recovery are accelerating those processes, without any doubt.

[Slide—Promising Areas and Directions for S&T Revolution ...]

What are the promising areas and directions for a science and technology revolution? I tried to summarise them as follows. In the area of energy and resources, we are entering an era of post-fossil energy, which requires fundamental breakthroughs in energy efficiency transformation, storage and utilisation, with advanced renewable and alternative energies and green and sustainable collectors. In the information area, nearly all existing information technologists will encounter obstacles for further development by 2020. It calls for potential breakthroughs in photonics, quantum and molecular electro-devices; post-IP network theory and technology; and human-machine interactions and intelligent processing of texts, voice, images and so on.
Regarding advanced materials and manufacturing, they will be clean, efficient and environment­friendly, with new breakthroughs likely in the design of high-performance, green and smart materials and fine control of fabrication and its all-life-cycle cost and emissions.

[Slide—Agriculture: is bound to enter ...]

Agriculture is bound to enter an ecologically efficient and sustainable era for ensuring food and industrial demands, such as the traditional, but it will perhaps also help to mitigate the energy pressure and satisfy the diversified needs of mankind with breakthroughs in such areas as advanced theories and technologies for breeding high­yield, high-quality and stress­resistant crops and plantations.
In human health, major breakthroughs will occur in genomics, stem cell and regenerative medicine and so on. Affordable and probably also preventive and individual medical care will significantly contribute to health care, population management and prevention and treatment of major diseases.
In basic research, major breakthroughs will occur in areas such as dark matter, dark energy and antimatter understanding as well as in precision manipulation of molecules, atoms and electrons and in systematic and synthetic biology, as well as the study of brains and cognition, all of which will deepen understanding of the universe, matter, life and cognition.

[Slide—Common Global Challenges ...]

What are the common global challenges that we are facing? I believe that these are the major ones: a rapid growth of the global population; health and food security; cyber and regional, national and public security; a shortage of energy and resources; ecological degradation, environmental pollution and a response to global climate change; and narrowing the gap between the South and the North in the global area and also the rich and the poor in regions or countries.

[Slide—From Industrial Era to Knowledge-based Civilisation ...]

Mankind is transiting from the industrial era to a knowledge-based civilisation. Knowledge will become the unlimited, shareable and principal resource, and the decisive factors for development and innovation will become the major driving force for the economy and social progress. Knowledge­based industry will play a predominant role, and knowledge innovation and application will become the primary approach for social progress and even for the overall development of human beings.
The integration of personalised innovation and the global cooperation of organisations will be the major modes in the future. A harmonious society is the major goal of mankind. A peaceful, harmonious, tolerant and sustainable civilisation needs science and technological innovation and global cooperation; it will lead us to shared creation, shared development and shared prosperity.

[Slide—with point 2 highlighted:
1 Common Challenges in the Changing World
2 Opportunities & Challenges for China’s Development in the Future
3 The Mission and Tasks of CAS
4 Review and Prospect of Sino-Australia S&T Cooperation]

[Slide—Great Changes in the Past 30 Years ...]

Now I come to the second part of my presentation: opportunities and challenges for China’s development in the future. China’s high-speed economic growth over the past three decades made it no. 3 in the world in 2009, with a total GDP of RMB 33.5 trillion; and it made it no. 1 in the world economically, with imports and exports amounting to US$2.2 trillion. China’s agricultural grain output has also increased for six successive years. China is now feeding 22 per cent of the global population, with only 7 per cent of the world’s arable land.
Urbanisation of China has been accelerating very quickly, with the number of cities reaching 655 in 2008, 122 of which have over 1 million residents. It has also meant that there have been great changes to the energy demand and also to the development of such areas as protection services, providing more job positions. The contribution of science and technology progress to economic growth has also reached 40 per cent; China is now second only to the United States in terms of total number of scientists and engineers. More than 20,000 students now study in universities in China.

[Slide—China will remain a developing country for many years to come ...]

Though high in GDP, per capita income is rather low. In 2009, China’s per capita GDP was US$3735, ranking it 99th in the world. Its overall level of education is also lower, with lack of innovation talents. A big gap exists between China and the developed countries in human resource development.

[Slide—Also an obvious gap in urbanization, with a rate of 46.6 in 2009, lower than the world’s average ...]

There is an obvious gap in urbanisation, with a rate of 46.6 per cent in 2009, lower than the world’s average. Employment in the service industry only accounts for 33.2 per cent of the whole, which is far behind developed countries and also behind the world average. China’s economy and society features an urban and a rural structure with unbalanced regional development. It is very different in the eastern part from the western part, and it will take a few decades of hard work to narrow the gap. Issues of concern include an increasing gap between the rich and the poor; poor rural medical care facilities and other public services; and a lack of consumption stimulus in comparison with developed countries, including Australia.

[Slide—Still Faces huge Challenges ...]

China still faces huge challenges. There exist unprecedented huge demands for industrialisation, urbanisation and infrastructure-building for a well­off society. China’s development up until today has mainly relied on investment and the lower cost of labour. There has been a lack of innovation capacity in key technologies. As estimated, China’s reliance on foreign resources—for example, oil—will reach 60 per cent by 2020, and there is an increasing dependence on overseas raw materials and resources.

[Slide—Increasing pressure on its eco-environment...]

Pollution in air, soil and drinking water is harmful to human health and there is increasing pressure on China’s eco-environment. Population growth and urbanisation is developing very quickly, imposing increasing pressures on food security, infrastructure construction, and water and energy demands. As for conventional and non-conventional challenges, China faces various new challenges from frequent natural disasters to man-induced accidents, causing challenges to public security and social harmony and stability. It can no longer hold on to the rough mode of development at the expense of natural resources and the eco-environment.

[Slide—Adhering to science based development ...]

The Chinese government and the Chinese scientific society will be adhering to science-based development, accelerating the transformation of development patterns. We have to develop a modern industrial system and upgrade core competitiveness; upgrade the manufacturing sector and nurture new, emerging industries, accelerating the growth of the service industry; strengthen a smarter, sustainable energy system and a safe, green, efficient and comfortable transportation system; improve informationisation for everybody everywhere; and develop a marine economy. In building a resource-efficient and environment­friendly society, we have to develop a circular economy for better conservation and management of resources; enhance ecology and environmental protection and the capability of preventing and mitigating natural disasters; and actively address global climate change challenges with global counterparts.

[Slide—Missions of CAS]

Now I will briefly introduce to you the mission and role of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. CAS, as always, should play a core and leading role in China’s national innovation system. Our mission is:

• to engage in research of fundamental, strategic and forward-looking importance, targeting national strategic needs and world frontiers and to provide solutions to key science and technology issues related to the innovative and sustainable development of China;
• to cultivate advanced science and technology innovation talents; integrated under the CAS umbrella are two universities: one is a postgraduate university of CAS; and the other is the Chinese University of Science and Technology;
• to train young scientists and postdocs and postgraduates in the CAS institutions to facilitate the transfer and commercialisation of research outcomes;
• to serve as a national think tank delivering major advancement to decision-makers and also to our public; and
• to promote the international competitiveness of China’s science and technology and to work with our international counterparts.

 

[Slide—CAS is implementing ‘Innovation 2020’ in the next 10 years ...]

China is implementing Innovation 2020, which will start next year; we are preparing for its launch in the next 10 years. CAS will address scientific frontiers that will lead to technology revolution breakthroughs and industrial rejuvenation; scientific issues that will improve the welfare and livelihood of our people and will crack the bottlenecks in resource development, the eco-environment and others; and strategic high-technology issues that will strengthen international competitiveness and national security.

[Slide—CAS’s Nine Priority Fields of S&T innovation ...]

I will list for you CAS’s nine priority fields of science and technology innovation in the coming decade: sustainable energy and resources; advanced materials and smart, green manufacturing; a universally accessible information network; higher efficiency in eco-agriculture and the bioindustry; universally affordable, preventive and individual healthcare; ecology and environmental preservation; an exploration capacity of space and the oceans; national and public security, traditional and untraditional and natural and human-induced; key basic and interdisciplinary frontiers of technology, traditional and non-traditional.

[Slide—Adhere to Opening-up and Cooperation ...]

To carry out this task, we have to adhere to and open up cooperation with national innovation factors and also international cooperation—for example, establishing joint research and development centres with companies and having a strategic alliance for the incubation of high-technology industries; developing cooperative networks between CAS and local governments; fostering various kinds of collaboration for promoting regional clusters of innovation; strengthening the training of advanced talents and the sharing of scientific and educational infrastructure; and setting up young scientists’ partnership groups or joint laboratories to foster cooperation at cross-cutting frontiers with universities.

[Slide—Carry out all-round, high-level, wide-ranging and effective international cooperation and establish extensive strategic partnerships ...]

We will also carry out all-round, high-level, wide-ranging and effective international cooperation and establish extensive strategic partnerships by vigorously promoting the international talent programs and establishing long­term strategic cooperation partnerships with world-class research institutions; actively joining in and organising international cooperation projects; and developing partnerships, cooperation and exchanges with multinational industrial R&D institutions and international science and technology organisations.

[Slide—Strengthen innovation in institutional and administrative management ...]

We will also strengthen innovation in institutional and administrative management by establishing regulatory and management systems based on the CAS charter and improving regulations for a hundred or more institutions; and establishing and improving the matrix and networking management mode for innovation activities, bringing CAS into full play of the comprehensive strengths. This will change the traditional concept of management just following disciplines. Now we will also arrange the matrix measurement to be driven by demand—for example, with renewable energies.  We will strengthen performance based management, optimise resources allocation and improve the effectiveness of research.

[Slide—Improve competitive recruitment mechanisms, keep an appropriate ratio of staff mobility ...]

We will improve competitive recruitment mechanisms, keep an appropriate ratio of staff mobility—maybe 10 to 15 per cent per year—and improve mechanisms for internal incentives; evaluate science and technology activities based on classification and conduct evaluation mainly based on actual innovation contributions and the quality of innovation, with an emphasis on international peer review and practical verification; and build an innovation culture, advocate a scientific spirit, encourage competition and cooperation, while adhering to scientific morality and ethics.

[Slide—A Review of Sino-Australia S&T Cooperation ...]

The last part of my presentation is to engage in a brief review and prospect of Sino­Australia science and technology cooperation.

In 1972, China and Australia established diplomatic ties. Eight years later, China and Australia signed an umbrella agreement for science and technology cooperation—minister to minister and academy to academy. Today, China is Australia’s third largest partner in joint international publications. In science and technology innovation, China and Australia are becoming strategic cooperation partners. I hope that my Australian colleagues agree with my comments.

[Slide—Scientific Cooperation between CAS and Australian Partners ...]

Scientific cooperation between CAS and its Australian partners is varied. The CAS-AAS MoU for cooperation was signed in 1980. The China­Australia Joint Symposium on Sustainable Development was started in 2004. That cooperation has witnessed a vigorous growth and fruitful achievements. Increasing in scope, it has established many strategic partnerships, witnessing a rapid rise in cooperation. There is extensive and in-depth cooperation in major scientific issues of common concern and frontiers—physical science, information science and technology, life science, medical sciences and also Earth science and astronomy. The joint science and technology annual symposium provides an effective platform for bilateral exchange and collaboration, enhanced by various joint labs and centres, which are mostly integrated in universities in Australia and China and the institution of CAS.

[Slide—China and Australia S&T strategic collaboration into the 21st Century ...]

China’s and Australia’s science and technology strategic collaboration will be going on into the 21st century. In a fast­changing world, both countries are confronted with the grand tasks of achieving sustainable development and various common challenges, such as water and energy shortages, food security, climate change, ecological deterioration, environmental pollution, natural disasters, and ageing and health issues.
China’s and Australia’s science and technology cooperation is complementary to each other and suits the interests of both countries and, of course, peoples. We should place science and technology cooperation as of strategic importance so as to address common challenges for a common brighter future.

[Slide—Principles for future cooperation ...]

What are the principles for future cooperation? First, we need to identify cooperation priorities from the areas of our common challenges, such as innovative agriculture, water management, climate change response and eco-environmental protection, smart infrastructure for a smart society, health care, sustainable energy, and prevention and mitigation of disasters. Also integrated are many fundamental science questions and key technologies, which we will try to broker. We should take science and technology cooperation as the pioneering and driving force for economic and industrial cooperation, which we should also target to the authorities on both sides to give us more support for cooperation and collaboration. We should bring into full play bottom­up and top-down mechanisms; and integrate research, development, demonstration and talent-training into the whole cooperation process. And we need to continuously expand fields of cooperation, innovative cooperation models and set up new platforms step by step.

[Slide—Construct Long­term S&T Collaboration Mechanisms ...]

We should also construct long-term science and technology cooperation mechanisms, strengthening collaboration with the AAS and ATSE, and continue to jointly support the China­Australia science and technology symposia for consolidating the cooperation bases and promoting cooperation projects. We should strengthen collaboration with CSIRO, primarily focusing on water resources and agriculture, remote sensing and climate change, health care and biotechnology as well as nanotechnology and new energy materials—and others. There should be a deepening of cooperation between CAS and Queensland and a focus on cross-disciplinary research in biotech, health, agriculture, new emerging industries, ecology and environmental protection, and so on. Queensland and CAS have already established a foundation to support that cooperation. Queensland will be a smarter, green and sustainable state.

[Slide—Set up a road map ...]

We should set up a road map and coordination mechanism and a joint-support and joint-assessment mechanism for long­term collaboration. We should build Sino­Australia science and technology cooperation into an all­round and sustainable strategic partnership which will provide a good example to the world. We warmly welcome Australian scientists to visit us and work in CAS and in China, in universities or industry.