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I saw on TV today that in NY people were hiring Chinese "nannys" so their kids could learn Chinese. After seeing PBS program I started reading "1421 The Year China Discovered America". About 1424 with the death of the Emperor China turned inward and lost their maritime lead. Kind of like we are surrendering our lead in science today and much more in the past 5 years. Civilizations do not hold on to hegemony forever. I just copied about half of the article, concentrating on stem cell research. ray, MA History Blinding Science: China's Race to Innovate The country is making a move to be a leader in science, medicine, technology, R&D, and energy -- and the government is behind the charge Looking for the cutting edge of stem cell science? Instead of Stanford or Cambridge or Singapore, consider Shenzhen. That's where Chinese entrepreneur Sean Hu has set up one of the most radical businesses in the field. Hu is chairman of Beike Biotech, a joint venture involving the Shenzhen government, Peking University, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Launched last year, Beike specializes in stem cell treatments that doctors in the U.S. wouldn't dare to try experimentally, let alone commercially: taking stem cells from aborted fetuses and implanting them into patients with otherwise incurable diseases. In the U.S., simply using stem cells from embryos is controversial. That's not the case in China, where regulators are also far more permissive about experimental therapies than their U.S. counterparts. So far, Hu and his doctors have treated more than 100 patients suffering from autism, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), crippling strokes, and other severe problems. Now, Hu plans to make Beike a nationwide company with global reach. "We will be able to apply the most advanced stem cell technology and use our network to collaborate with foreign biotech companies," he says. IT'S A SCIENCE. Hu's ambitions -- and the regulations that allow him to operate -- indicate just how far China is going in its attempt to build a more modern, flexible economy. In Beijing, innovation is the buzzword. President Hu Jintao set the tone in January with his call for China to make the transition from a manufacturing-based economy to an innovation-based one. Innovation was a major theme at the recently concluded National People's Congress, with the government unveiling its latest five-year plan calling for big increases in spending to nurture innovation. China is targeting a broad range of sectors, including some controversial areas such as stem cells, gene therapy, and genetically modified crops; and some areas that the U.S. has long dominated, including software, semiconductors, and space exploration. And China aims to become a leader in emerging technologies such as renewable energy sources ranging from solar, hydro, and wind power to fuel cells. By 2050, China intends to surpass the U.S. and become the biggest player in the world of science. There are many reasons that Beijing wants to push the innovation agenda. One is national pride: As a great nation that was coming up with innovative breakthroughs when Europe was in the Dark Ages, China believes it should be a leader, not a follower. Another reason is national security. The Communist regime doesn't like being at the mercy of foreigners for key technologies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn