A Glimpse of China's Technology

Technology Transfer in China: Selected Papers. Lisbeth A. Levey, ed. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C., 1986. This publication from the American Association for the Advancement of Science contains several papers presented at a May 1986 symposium entitled Innovations in Technology Transfer: International Comparisons (China, Europe, Japan and the United States). The papers form a somewhat incoherent collection when considered under the topic of technology transfer in China. Their cohesiveness is more apparent under the title of the original symposium. The paper by Chen Shenyi, vice chairman of the Beijing Center for Ecological Engineering, is the only one that actually examines domestic technology transfer mechanisms in China. Wang Huijiong, executive director of the Research Center for Economic, Technological and Social Development of the State Council in Beijing, provides a comprehensive account of the organization of science and technology in China. Richard Suttmeier, professor of political science and Office of Technology Assessment analyst, also provides useful background for understanding technology transfer in China and among China, Japan and the United States. While many stimulating questions are raised here, the transnational dimension is absent from much of the rest of the publication. It is considered further only by consultant and former assistant secretary of commerce Jordan Baruch in his very personal account of the Dalian Management Training Center's program for technology managers and in the concluding remarks by Donald Langenberg, chancellor of the University of Illinois, Chicago. The title limits the subject matter to technology transfer within China. But even so, the country's internal processes are not completely covered. Notable for its absence is any reference to the Chinese defense establishment, whose transfer of technology to the civilian sector has received much attention recently. Defense is also ignored in the discussion of the organization of science in China despite the fact that the most notable technological achievements in the country's history—such as the development of nuclear weaponry and space propulsion capability—have been in this area. Another obvious omission is discussion of the future status of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a body of some 122 institutes with a total staff of 41,000 scientists and technicians, according to the publication. How best to utilize this considerable force of technical personnel to further the country's development is one of the greatest challenges facing China's leadership. Following the events of last December and January, the academy has undergone major changes in top administrative personnel. The papers are most useful as an up-to-date introduction for anyone who has not followed Chinese science and technology policy and institutions. The accounts are descriptive and mostly uncritical. Some do not clearly distinguish between adopted policy and desired policy; under the heading "Science and Technology Management Reforms," for example, the words "will be" and "should be" appear a number of times. Perhaps this is symptomatic of the uncertainties underlying present policy. For example, as Suttmeier points out, the problem of personnel policy in China is a "hard nut to crack." It is challenging to consider how a meeting could be organized so that the best information about China could be presented and critically discussed. We should be grateful for the fact that somebody of Wang Huijiong's credibility was available for a symposium in the United States. Typically, however, it is not comfortable for Americans to ask searching or controversial questions of Chinese participants. Unfortunately, recent events in China probably place an additional burden of risk on those participating in public discussions of sensitive Chinese policy issues. The time may not be ripe for intellectually stimulating exchanges with Chinese counterparts in a public forum. Instead, we probably shall have to content ourselves with snatches of private interchanges for some time to come. Schnepp is a professor of chemistry at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90089-0482. From 1980 to 1982, he served as science counselor in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

A Glimpse of China's Technology

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