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Bioindustry outlook bright

By Wang Yu (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-06-27 10:43

China's bioeconomy will witness more dynamic development, with its output reaching new heights in the coming years, the country's science and technology chief said yesterday.

"The total output value of the bioindustry will reach 500 to 800 billion yuan by 2010. The industry value will be about 1.6 trillion yuan by 2015. By 2020, the value of the segment will hit 2 to 3 trillion yuan, accounting for more than 4 percent of the country's domestic gross product," Wan Gang, minister of science and technology, said in Tianjin yesterday at the opening ceremony of the 2007 International Conference on Bioeconomy.

China will adopt a three-step strategy to strengthen its science and technology muscle, according to Wan.

The first step, from now until 2010, will mostly involve technology accumulation. In the second stage, until 2015, China will emerge as a world power in the area and in the third, until 2020, the country will focus on holding on to the top position.

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The minister said China has set 10 priorities, such as agriculture-oriented biotechnology, medical biotechnology, biofuel technology, environmental biotech and marine biotech, in driving its bioindustry.

The country is also attaching more importance to making breakthroughs in 35 categories of key biotechnologies, such as stem cell and genetic modification technology, Wan said.

The science and technology chief contended that to further drive the bioindustry forward, one of the keys lies in improving the financing mechanism and creating a better investment environment.

Echoing Wan, State Councillor Chen Zhili said more favorable fiscal, taxation, financing and intellectual property right protection policies are needed to cultivate a better industrial environment for bioeconomy.

Biotechnology can help lower the cost of agricultural production, facilitate medical revolution, upgrade industrial manufacturing, reduce emission and ease the problem of energy shortage, said Xu Guanhua, former minister of science and technology.