He Guoqiang, a member of the Political Bureau and of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, was speaking in Beijing Monday at a meeting with three Nobel Prize laureates and Chinese scientists attending a symposium on life sciences.

The three Nobel Prize winners are: Torsten N. Wiesel, physiologist and former president of Rockefeller University; Robert Huber, biochemist and director of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry; and Hartmut Michel, biologist and director of the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics.

He, who is also head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, said the bio-technology industry, one of the high-tech industries with great potential, was another new growth area for the economy following the information industry and a focus for China's development.

Therefore, China attached great importance to its development and paid special attention to its initiatives and application, and bio-safety, noted He.

China would try to make major breakthroughs in this regard in line with its own conditions under the guidance of both the government and the market, and rely on both self-development and technological introduction, said He.

He went on to say the guideline for China's scientific and technological cooperation with overseas partners was equality, mutual benefit, intellectual property protection and international practices.

Praising the contributions made by the three scientists in their fields, he voiced his appreciation for their support for the development of life sciences and bio-technology in China and briefed them on China's achievements as a result of its reform and opening-up policy initiated over two decades ago.

He hoped that the scientists would continue to pay attention to China's development, and expressed his hope that they would visit China more and offer their opinions on China's scientific and technological development.

(Xinhua News Agency February 18, 2003)