At an audiovisual meeting held on January 4, CAS President LU Yongxiang made a briefing on the outcome of the 2005 Enlarged Winter Session of the Leading Group of the Communist Party of China at CAS.
At an audiovisual meeting held on January 4, CAS President LU Yongxiang made a briefing on the 2005 Enlarged Winter Session of the CAS Leading Party Cadres' Group.The audiovisual meeting was presided over by CAS Executive Vice-president BAI Chunli and attended by leading scientits and administrators.
The 2005 enlarged winter session of the Leading Group of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at CAS convened from December 24 to 28 in Beijing.
The task of the session is summarized as follows: Under the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of "Three Represents" and the Scientific Approach toward Development, studying the guiding principles set at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Sixteenth Central Committee of CPC; conscientiously analyzing the international and domestic political and economic situations and worldwide developments in science and technology; examining the CAS Outline for Medium- and Long-term Development, the Blueprint for the Development of Science and Technology Clusters at CAS along with plans for their implementation, and the CAS Charter; discussing important reform measures designed to promote the work in the third-phase implementation of the Knowledge Innovation Program (KIP); and examining the major aspects of the work planned for CAS in 2006 and the preparations for the convocation of the 2006 CAS Work Conference.
The session was important. It followed the successful convocation of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Sixteenth CPC Central Committee and the Central Economic Work Conference. It came when the country's Eleventh Five-Year Program for Economic and Social Development and the State Program for Medium- and Long-term Scientific and Technological Development were about to be published, and when CAS was about to kick off the third phase of KIP. New requirements were raised for CAS in its scientific and technological innovation work at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Sixteenth CPC Central Committee and the Central Economic Work Conference and in a series of important remarks made by General Secretary HU Jintao of the CPC Central Committee. As the country's strategic force for science and technology, CAS is obliged to serve as the engine in the nationwide effort to raise the country's capability of making independent innovations and contribute to the country's economic development, social progress and state security by constantly supplying the country with highly advanced, innovation-based scientific and technological achievements, innovation-minded experts and scientific ideas. Through painstaking analysis of the situation CAS was facing, participants at the session acquired a clearer understanding of a series of important matters including the targets and tasks CAS had set for itself for development in the future, the development strategy of CAS and focus of its work, and the institutional and other measures for achieving the purpose. The session boosted the confidence of participants, unified their thinking, enhance their sense of responsibility and urgency. For all that, it will be of great importance to success in implementing the third phase KIP.
The meeting stresses that efforts should be made to develop CAS into a scientific research base at advanced international level, a base for fostering and bringing up advanced S&T talents, and a base for promoting the development of China's high and new technology industries, and into a national scientific research center that has to its credit the first-class research achievements, first-class benefits, first-class management and first-class R&D workforce. While epitomizing the strategic targets AS strives to attain, this is what the Party Central Committee and the State Council have asked CAS to do and represents what the entire Chinese people expect CAS to become. Participants at the session acquired a better understanding of these targets, and reached consensus on ways of their attainment.
Through work for nearly six months, CAS has by and large completed the formulation of its Medium- and Long-term Development Program, an important measure for CAS to implement the State Medium- and Long-Term Program for Scientific and Technological Development. It is the strategic, comprehensive and programmatic guide for work of CAS in the future, the blueprint for the development of CAS, and the action plan for the entire CAS staff. It will, at the same time, provide the basis on which CAS functions as a national scientific research center. After revision on the basis of suggestions to be collected throughout the CAS establishment, the Program will be released at the CAS 2006 Annual Work Conference. Units operating directly under the CAS headquarters have the duty to do a good job of implementing the Program by proceeding from the specific conditions of each. Now and over a period to come, priority should be given to the following work: First, ensuring a full implementation of the CAS development strategy for this new period, with the focus on enhancement of the capability for making scientific and technological innovations; Second, striving to be even keener to development through competition; Third, strengthening strategic studies; and Fourth, ensuring all-round success in the third-phase KIP implementation, in particular success in KIP implementation in 2006, its beginning year.
The meeting emphasizes that system, mechanism and managerial guarantees are needed in CAS effort to make scientific and technological innovations. Without innovative systems and mechanisms and a most efficient management, production of top-level experts will be out of the question, and so will be production of top-class research achievements and top-level economic performances. There is the need for the Academy to seize the opportune moment for KIP implementation. By basing ourselves on the specific conditions in China and CAS and also on the laws governing the development of modern science and technology, we must get acquainted with modern managerial concepts and work hard to improve our systems, mechanisms and management. Now and over a period to come, CAS must work harder on reforms to develop new, innovative systems, mechanisms and management. CAS must promote the reforms with regard to our overall management system, the management of our research institutes, the organization and management of major scientific and technological activities, and the mechanisms for the distribution of available resources and cooperation between CAS and local governments. To sum up, we must standardize the management of CAS.
The meeting holds that a powerful organizational and ideological guarantee is vital to smooth implementation of the KIP in its third phase. "We must take Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook toward Development as our guide. We must, by proceeding from the immediate and long-term needs of CAS in pushing its reforms to enhance our innovation-based capabilities, effectively improve the Party organizations at CAS in response to the call for maintaining the advanced nature of the Party. We must work vigorously to improve the CAS leading bodies. We must promote the development of an innovation-oriented CAS culture and ensure harmony and coordination within the CAS establishment."
The meeting calls on entire CAS staff to be sober-minded and maintain a dashing spirit in striving for reform and innovation. Efforts should be made to fulfill the various tasks set in the CAS Medium- and Long-Term Development Program, and work in a determined, down-to-the-earth manner to translate our magnificent development plans into shining realities. By doing all this, CAS will make badly needed contributions and contributions of major importance to the enhancement of China's innovation capabilities and establishment of a state innovation system, to the attainment of the national target to build a relatively prosperous society in all aspects, a harmonious society under socialism, an innovation-based new country.
