China science, technology news summary -- April 20

Xinhua
20 Apr 2024

BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The following is a summary of published science and technology news of China.

SCI-TECH INVESTMENT

Chinese authorities released a document Friday introducing new measures to encourage overseas institutions to invest in China's domestic sci-tech enterprises.

The document, jointly unveiled by the Ministry of Commerce and nine other government departments, includes 16 measures that aim to optimize management services, enhance financing support, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and improve exit mechanisms.

China will work to efficiently approve the qualification applications for the dollar-denominated qualified foreign institutional investor scheme (QFII) and its yuan-denominated sibling, RQFII, in accordance with the law, it said.

MERCEDES-BENZ R&D CENTER

Mercedes-Benz inaugurated a new building in Shanghai in east China on Friday as an upgrade of its R&D center in the metropolis, with an investment of 69 million yuan (about 9.71 million U.S. dollars).

Comprising innovative spaces, testing labs and workshops, the center enables efficient software and hardware development and comprehensive environment simulation, facilitating testing of End-to-End, OTA, and V2X functions, according to the company.

MOSQUITO GUT MICROBES

Chinese scientists have developed a more natural strategy to prevent mosquito-borne diseases by changing insects' gut microbes, which might be used as an alternative to controversial experiments that see genetically-modified mosquitoes released in Florida.

An epidemic survey over the past decade documented frequent dengue outbreaks in Xishuangbanna and Lincang, both in southwest China's Yunnan Province. But few have been reported in neighboring cities of Wenshan and Pu'er.

The further analysis suggested that an enzyme secreted by the bacteria can convert glucose into gluconic acid and rapidly acidify the intestines of blood-sucking mosquitoes in Wenshan and Pu'er. The mosquito-borne viruses will be neutralized in acid environment.