One.
　　
　　Progress achieved over the past decade
　　Far back in the early 1980s, China‘s top authorities were already planning ways of starting high-tech development zones on an experimental basis. In 1985, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party decided to restructure China‘s science and technology system and, as a part of the endeavor, it called for designating a few zones for the development of high and new technologies in talent-intensive regions. In 1988, the State Council, China‘s highest governing body, approved the establishment of the Beijing Experimental Zone for Development of High-tech Industries - the predecessor of the Beijing Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park (ZSTP) or "China‘s Silicon Valley" as it is known in China and abroad. The birth of ZSTP inspired Chinese scientists to go in for high-tech industrialization. In March 1991, the State Council gave go-ahead to the first batch of 26 high-tech development zones in China. The following year saw the launching of the second batch - 25 in total - with approval of the State Council. In July 1997, the State Council approved the establishment of the Yangling Zone for Demonstration of Agricultural High Technologies in Shaanxi Province. This brought to 53 the number of high-tech development zones across the country, which together cover 705 square kilometers.
　　 Chinese leaders have attached great importance to high-tech development and industrialization. In April 1991, Deng Xiaoping, the late architect of China‘s reforms, wrote an inscription calling on scientists and engineers to "Go in for high-tech development and realize high-tech industrialization (in China)". President Jiang Zemin, who doubles as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, visited the Chengdu High-tech Development Zone in Sichuan later in the same month and wrote the zone‘s name as a token of support. In a speech delivered in 1996, Jiang described the establishment of high-tech development zones as the "most important invention" made by human race in the 20th century in striving for high-tech industrialization.
　　"Striving to be innovation-oriented" - this is the guiding principle for China‘s high-tech development zones. High-tech development zones have been growing in strength under this principle and by bringing into full play the role of both the government and market. Over the past decade, annual growths averaging 60% or even greater have been registered in major economic indices for high-tech development zones. The 1991 revenue for these zones was a mere RMB8.73 billion yuan (about US$100 million at the current rate of exchange). In contrast, these zones in 2001 generated a combined revenue of RMB1.19 trillion yuan (US$114.2 billion), 137 times the 1991 figure. Exports reported by high-tech development zones across the country in 2001 came to a total of US$22.7 billion, a 164-fold increase.
　　High-tech development zones are now playing a pivotal role in promoting the development of both national and local economies. They are furnishing more than half of the revenue and industrial output value generated by the country‘s high-tech industries. To be more precise, high-tech development zones have become the main engines for development of the cities where they are based. High-tech development zones accounted for 44% of the industrial added value generated by Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. The corresponding figure was 39% for Jilin Province, 37% for Mianyang City of Sichuan, 35% for Beijing, 30% for Xi‘an of Shaanxi, and 25% for Shenyang of Liaoning Province.
　　More than 24,000 enterprises are operating in high-tech development zones. Of these, 1,539 are able to generate more than RMB100 million yuan (US$12 million) in annual output value each; and 185, credited with an annual output value that exceeds RMB1 billion yuan (US$120 million) for each; and ten, each with an annual output value that exceeds RMB10 billion (US$1.2 billion). What merits even greater attention is the fact that most of China‘s high-tech incubators - close to 400, the third greatest among all countries and regions of the world -- are in high-tech development zones. Over the past decade, some 6,000 provincial- or state-level research results have been put to industrial use in high-tech development zones. Besides, products with intellectual property rights exclusive to China account for 70% of the total turned out in such zones.
　　High-tech development zones are designated to blaze a new trail for the development of the entire country. For this reason, the Government has always stressed the need to increase the input of scientific and technological expertise and talent to facilitate their growth. Of the 2.94 million men and women employed by companies in high-tech development zones, one- third have received higher education, and 480,000 have acquired professional titles equivalent to those for university lecturers, associate professors and full professors. Some 69,000 of them have completed their studies for a master‘s degree, and 12,000, their doctoral studies. Besides, high-tech development zones are home to nearly 10,000 Chinese with degrees obtained abroad who have returned to take part in the country‘s construction. Since 2001, high-tech development zones have received two-fifths of the funds earmarked by the state for research and development (R&D). R&D funds earmarked by companies in high-tech development zones account for more than three percent of their sales revenue. High-tech development zones have produced a large contingent of experts in enterprise incubation, venture capital and management of high industries, in addition to high-tech products, services and technologies. In 2001, per capita productivity averaged RMB410,000 yuan (US$45,000) for high-tech development zones, dwarfing the figure for the entire nation. Taxes and administrative fees paid by high-tech development zones, when calculated on a per capita basis, came to RMB44,000 yuan (US$5,320), also much higher than the national average.
　　
　　Two.
　　
　　Our experience in promoting the development of high-tech development zones
　　1.The Government should concentrate on creating the kind of environment conducive to technological innovation and high-tech industrialization. It has to be admitted that China remains economically weak and that there is a long way to go for the country to build up a full-fledged economy. In view of this, it is all the more necessary for the country to pool, as far as possible, available human, material and financial resources for use to develop this kind of environment in a limited number of areas - in this case, high-tech development zones. Only in this way, will it be possible for China to progress in step with high-tech development that is gathering momentum worldwide. The state should, as a matter of course, do a good job of infrastructure development to suit the needs of companies in high-tech development zones. What is even more important, however, is for the state to create a "soft" environment to facilitate the growth of these zones, that is, an environment of policy and services that is good enough to meet the needs of companies there. High-tech development zones, on their part, have pioneered the implementation of those policy measures to encourage high-tech development and industrialization. By providing technology-intensive companies with information, managerial, consulting, technological, banking, financing and other services as well as training of personnel and supply of human resources, these zones have helped companies reduce investment risks and the time spent on putting research results to industrial application.
　　China is still in the process of shifting from a planned economy to a market economy. In other words, it is far from being sufficiently prepared for a full-fledged market economy in terms of market conditions, legislation, availability of infrastructure facilities, people‘s thinking and cultural environment. For this reason, guidance and regulations by the government have to assume a paramount importance. In other words, the Government is obliged to improve investment conditions and provide necessary guidance to investors. Foreign experience proves that a relatively under-developed country can ensure a rapid high-tech development provided resources available to the government are properly used.
　　2. Development of small- and medium-sized non-publicly owned enterprises must be promoted. With a flexible managerial and operational mechanism, these enterprises are quick to adapt themselves to changes in market conditions, are cost effective and keen to develop and exploit human resources, hence their competitiveness on domestic and world markets. Now that China is already a full member of the WTO, we believe that small- and medium-sized non-publicly owned enterprises，those operating in high-tech development zones in particular, will prove to be vital to the development of the entire national economy.
　　3. President Jiang Zemin has said: "Science and technology parks are a great creation of the current century in the course of high-tech industrialization. This way of combining scientific activities with industrial production proves to be a solution to the longstanding separation of science from industry, making it possible for the human race to put their scientific discoveries and inventions to industrial application so that maximum economic and social benefits can be generated."
　　Establishment of high-tech development zones makes it possible for China to experiment with ways of restructuring its science and technology, economic and administrative systems. Moreover, high-tech development zones help build up highly competitive local economies, thus contributing to a sustainable development of the entire country.