A "Cross-Strait Symposium on Scien-tific and Technical Achievements" was held in Taipei in July. Among the many science and technology professionals from both sides of the Taiwan Strait who attended, mainland Minister of Science and Technology Zhu Lilan, there in her capacity as a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology, attracted the most attention. As well as promoting exchange on science and technology, the symposium also had a degree of political significance.

A four-day "Cross-Strait Symposium on Scientific and Technical Achievements," sponsored by the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI), began in Taipei on 15 July. The many participants from industrial, official and academic circles on both sides of the strait exchanged views on such topics as machinery, materials, communications, electronics, aerospace and petrochemicals. PRC Minister of Science and Technology Zhu Lilan attended at the invitation of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

Ms. Zhu was formerly standing vice-director of the mainland's State Science and Technology Commission and director of its Taiwan Affairs Office. This year, after Zhu Rongji was appointed PRC premier, Zhu Lilan was promoted to science and technology minister. Zhu, who knows many people in Taiwan's scientific and technological circles, said she had been invited to Taiwan several times in the past, but this was the first time she had been able to come. She was accompanied by many officials from her ministry. Symposium participants from Taiwan included Li Kuo-ting, the "godfather" of science and technology in Taiwan, Huang Chen-tai, chairman of the National Science Council, and ITRI chairman Sun Chen and president Shih Chin-tai.

CNFI chairman Kao Ching-yuen said that Zhu's visit was of great importance both for cross-strait relations and for the scientific and technological development of Taiwan's industrial sector. Firstly, said Kao, Zhu was the first ministerial-level PRC official ever to visit Taiwan; in fact six years had passed since the last time this symposium was held, but because this time it was taking place on the eve of an expected new round of Koo-Wang talks (between Koo Chen-fu, chairman of Taiwan's semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation and Wang Daohan, chairman of its mainland counterpart the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait), it was generally ascribed a positive political significance. Secondly, during her visit to Taiwan Ms. Zhu had given a very detailed report of the current state of scientific and technological development in mainland China.

The "863" plan approved by Deng Xiaoping in 1986 designated eight major fields including biotechnology and optoelectronics as foundations for development. No matter how much the mainland is currently stressing the need to forge links between science and technology and the marketplace, basic science is still one of the three key foci of its national research program, and the PRC currently has 100,000 scientists engaged in basic research. Zhu Lilan stated that to maintain the steady development of basic scientific research, the mainland would allocate an additional RMB*2 billion over the next five years for major new scientific engineering projects, and would also find an extra RMB*2.5 billion to support research in such areas as energy and information technology.

Zhu also presented the results of 226 successful mainland research and development projects, including an underwater robot capable of working at depths of up to 6000 meters. She said the mainland had a comprehensive system of research establishments, but Taiwan was more advanced in the industrial division of labor and market development, and this created a starting point for cross-strait cooperation. She especially emphasized the importance of market awareness if science and technology were to create wealth. Cross-strait scientific and technical cooperation should set its sights on global markets. The most important work was the development of research ideas into products. However, as to what form cooperation with industry might take, she said it was not for her to intervene.

In the same context, Huang Chen-tai proposed that the Taiwan and the PRC could sign a "cross-strait scientific and technical exchange agreement" as a basis for promoting scientific and technical cooperation. Kingtel Telecommunication Corporation chairman Richard Wu said that Zhu Lilan's visit was clearly intended to promote cross-strait business links.

Indeed, while in Taiwan Zhu visited such leading lights of local high-tech industry as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company chairman Morris Chang and Acer Group president Stan Shih. She showed an interest in the history and future development of their companies, and was particularly keen to exchange views with them on what synergies could arise out of cross-strait industrial cooperation in science and technology.

ROC government agencies have always been very cautious about investment in the mainland by high-tech industries, due to concerns over how to develop technical exchange and generate synergy without sacrificing Taiwan's competitive advantage. Legislative Yuan member Ke Chien-ming said that Taiwan should as quickly as possible map out a strategy and establish a model for the 21st-century division of labor between high-tech industries on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, so that the two sides could establish a "constructive strategic partnership," rather than competing for the same markets. He said that for the mainland, the preconditions to the commercialization of science and technology were a free and open market environment, along with a modern, well-organized government administrative system. This was the biggest challenge facing mainland China.

With reference to this high-level scientific and technological exchange, people from both sides of the strait agreed that the two sides have different strengths and that cooperation is better than competition, but that further exchange and interaction between the two sides will be required before it becomes clear what forms such cooperation may take.