Sci-Tech

Launch of Chinas First Underwater Engineering Ship

Chinas first 3，000-meter deepwater multi-function engineering ship Offshore Oil 286 went into operation on December 28， 2014. It has greatly improved the countrys deep-sea resource exploration capacity and core oceaneering competence.

Huangpu Wenchong Ship- building Co.， Ltd. of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation built the ship with an investment of more than RMB 1 billion. The ship is 141 meters long and 29 meters wide with a maximum loading capacity of 11，228 tons and a deck area of 1，900 square meters. It can accommodate up to 150 crew members.

Equipped with a 400-ton crane to carry out underwater installations and an underwater robot that operates at a depth of up to 3，000 meters， the ship can hoist and lay pipes and support underwater robot and diving operations， and also carry out underwater equipment maintenance work.

Chinas First Domestic Jet Certified

The Civil Aviation Administration of China officially certified the countrys first domestically produced regional jet， the ARJ21-700， on December 30， 2014. This signified a crucial step towards the jets entry into the market.

The ARJ21， short for Advanced Regional Jet of the 21st Century， is designed and manufactured by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China （COMAC）. “Certification of the ARJ21 demonstrates that Chinas independently developed and manufactured planes have the necessary conditions for safe flying，” Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai said during his inspection at Beijing Capital International Airport of a model of the plane. Ma added that this certification also marked a giant stride forward for Chinas plane manufacturing sector， hailing the event as a significant milestone in the nations civil aviation development.

A major national high-tech project， the ARJ21 plane follows internationally accepted standards， criteria， and methods in its design， manufacture， assembly， and airworthiness tests. There are 78 seats in the dual-class configuration and 90 seats in the full economy class configuration. With a range of 2，225-3，700 km， the plane is earmarked for flights between central cities and neighboring medium and small cities.

More National Nature Reserves Established

China has recently set up 21 new national nature reserves， so expanding the countrys total conservation area to 9.72 percent of its land territory. There are now 428 national nature reserves covering 930，000 square kilometers.endprint

The new reserves， with a total area of more than 6，200 square kilometers， are scattered across 15 provinces/autonomous regions. They will be sanctuaries for 35 national endangered animal species， such as the Siberian tiger， giant panda， and golden monkey； also of 12 species of rare wild plants， such as the metasequoia and Kingdonia uniflora. The reserves are vital for protecting biodiversity， building a national ecological strategic safety pattern， and implementing relevant international conventions.

Nuclear Physicist Receives Chinas Top Science Award

Chinese nuclear physicist Yu Min， who masterminded the countrys first hydrogen bomb， received on January 9 Chinas top science and technology award. Chinese President Xi Jinping presented the award， which comes with a RMB 5 million cash prize， to Yu， an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences， at an annual ceremony held to honor the countrys most distinguished scientists and research achievements.

Yu is the 25th Chinese scientist to have won the award. The nuclear physicist is a leading figure of Chinas nuclear weapons research and high-tech development of national defense， and has made breakthroughs in theoretical research and design. His major contributions include solutions to various fundamental and critical theoretical problems to do with nuclear weapons which led to breakthroughs in Chinas hydrogen bomb development. China detonated its first hydrogen bomb on June 17， 1967 – 32 months after the country tested its first atomic bomb. Yu Min is one of the outstanding scientists who engineered this miracle. Since the 1970s， Yu has played an important role in proposing and promoting a number of high-tech projects.endprint