Mutual Benefit for the Long Term--Guan Wei-yan Talks About Sci-TechExchange

At the beginning of April, when Liu Tai-ying, the director of Taiwan's Institute of Economic Research, returned from a visit to the mainland, he came with the news that the mainland's Department of Aerospace Flight was willing to provide the R.O.C. with sixteen items of technology, news that shook up scientific and manufacturing circles.

Some, holding that the many items relating to satellite communication technology involved national defense facilities, harbored suspicions that the Chinese communists had "evil intentions." While economically there might be some small profits to be made, they feared that the national defense would be seriously damaged. Others thought that mainland research that had led to defense technology was far removed from commercial technology that could be profitably sold in the marketplace. They doubted whether Taiwan could use the Chinese communists' strengths to improve R.O.C. technology.

But the Ministry of Economic Affairs supported the transfers. Yang Shih-chien, Administrative Vice Minister of MOEA, said that although laws prohibited bringing mainland technology to Taiwan, any policy eventually becomes outdated. If Chinese communist technology really could help R.O.C. technological development, then current policy could be discussed and revised.

Amid so many conflicting views, what does Guan Wei-yan, the first mainland scientist to come to Taiwan, think? His remarks follow.

To each his strengths: Before economic reforms were implemented on the mainland, emphasis was placed on "standing on one's own feet." Hence, scientists were cut off from information about foreign technology and were forced to grope around in the dark. Yet in this way we gained some technological development experience, especially in a few specialized areas.

At that time, in order to "rule the world," we very ambitiously developed nuclear weapons and rocket technology. These cutting-edge technologies involved broad areas of science and thus pushed along development in such areas as material science, electronics and microwave signal reception.

During the Cultural Revolution, science and education were suppressed and only high energy physics and particle physics were protected. As a result, the mainland eventually made its own accelerator. Although it was a relatively low-energy accelerator, it was essentially made of entirely domestic technology, and from it the mainland accumulated no small amount of experience. America subsequently recruited a number of mainland scientists who worked on the accelerator, proving that the mainland has very talented personnel in a few scientific areas.

But the mainland has a major shortcoming. Because of the communist system, all enterprises are run by the state. They don't calculate costs and don't emphasize marketability or commercialization. Of course, they are now paying more attention to this problem and struggling to help other countries develop satellites as a way of making money. But generally speaking, they just can't compete in this respect with Taiwan. Taiwan's economic take-off has relied on a rapid connection between technology and production. The island has great experience with commercialization. Hence, exchange between the two sides would be mutually beneficial.

The over-regulated mainland: In addition to economic planning, the mainland authorities also stress technological planning. Everything has to be planned. But academic research must be done with a democratic spirit. Proposals must be able to come up from below as well as down from above. Scientific research cannot be completely forecasted. As far as research is concerned, only a lively environment in which people can bring their talents fully into play will be conducive to scientific creation. In this respect, Taiwan is much more open and free.

But the mainland has a definite advantage. It stresses planning. As a result, it has some experience in how to plan scientific development. The mainland has several times before made scientific plans, such as the "Twelve Years of Scientific Development" before the Cultural Revolution and ten year plans after the Cultural Revolution. These plans were produced by first of all bringing together a group of top-notch scientists, who would perform deep investigations, hold discussions and perform analysis and research before collectively coming up with worldwide development trends. Then related industrial departments would be mobilized to describe their scientific development needs. Finally, in accordance with the special strengths of Chinese research personnel, the three aspects would be integrated, and a most beneficial development plan would be proposed.

Of course, the leaders always gave top priority to their own favored areas and to matters of national defense, which distorted things. In this respect, it wasn't "scientific." But basically the plans showed a concern for scientific method.

Balancing out: From today's perspective, these plans have still been of use. For example, before the Cultural Revolution, in 1958, the Research Yuan established research institutes for computers, automation, semiconductors and electronics all at the same time, making a great contribution to the development of related disciplines. Of course, for "the two bombs and a star" (the atomic bomb, guided missile and satellite), which were considered most important for national defense, even more plans were made to bring together concentrations of scientific talent.

I personally believe that what scientific and technological development in Taiwan lacks is precisely the kind of planning in which national policy is based on multifaceted considerations. Here it mostly seems to be that a professor or school puts forward a goal that suits his or its particular strengths. For example, the recent relatively major plans to develop satellites, aerospace and astronomy, seem to have been embarked upon after hearing just a few people's suggestions. But the combined research work of all the people below does not equal a complete plan.

In the mainland a group of people get together and put everything on the table to be seen so we can choose what we ought to do. Of course the problem with the mainland is overregulation. Scientific development ought to allow for things not to go as planned. Things of a small scale should not get bogged down. I think that by combining planning from the top down and research from the bottom up, you'd obtain a better kind of research policy. Basically, both places have their short-comings and strong points. If we could do a little trading of experience in this regard, things would balance out quite nicely.

Only relationships of mutual benefit last long: There are those who have doubts about whether the mainland would really be willing to transfer technology to Taiwan. The mainland would of course be unwilling to give up major cutting-edge technology. But technology that is a spin-off of defense technology can certainly be transferred and used. Currently, some Taiwanese in the medical instrument business are planning to introduce metal levers that were a spin-off of the mainland's manufacture of satellites to make sinks for biochemical experiments. In addition, the microwave and refrigeration technologies the mainland obtained from its development of satellites could have broad industrial applications.

A British expert in high temperature superconductivity has said that the mainland's products in his field aren't bad and that he would be willing to buy these goods over those of Japan, the United States and Britain because of their lower prices, but the mainland simply doesn't know how to do business. It's like nuclear fuel, which can be used to make bombs or to produce energy. The spin-off technologies of defense research can be used by people. The problem lies in how to make commercial applications, and these skills are what the mainland is most in need of now.

If scientific exchange across the straits is going to be maintained over the long term, it must be mutually beneficial. If it is good for only one side and not the other, it is certain to be short lived. I think that if each side was able to bring its strengths into play, it would greatly benefit all Chinese both technologically and economically.

From this standpoint, I agree that technological exchange should not be too intense right off the bat. Otherwise things might grow out of control. But I personally have had contact with people from Taiwan and always have felt that few people here have a good understanding of the concrete situation in the interior of the mainland. Currently most people go to the mainland to visit relatives or on business, and there is little academic exchange. Technological and educational exchange is very fragmented.

The first step in scientific and technological exchange is still to increase the contacts between the respective educational and scientific communities so that they can obtain information. One can't get hold of the newspapers or magazines they read on the other side, and exchanges of books are also few. In such circumstances, everyone just repeats hearsay, and this isn't beneficial to scientific and technological exchange.

[Picture Caption]

Guan Wei-yan, the first mainland scientist to come to Taiwan. (photo byDiago Chiu)