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National Technology Policy - concept and function: Science and technology are playing increasingly more important role in promoting economic growth. As an instrument to promote the development of science & technology and to strengthen the linkage between technology and economy, technology policy attracts more and more attention from Chinese government. Since 1986, China has issued a series of national technology policy based on a series of large-scale survey and research. These technology policies have strongly promoted the progress of science & technology and the economic development. Technology policy is the guideline followed in the development of technology and economy, focuses on promoting economy development through technology progressing. Technology policy is different from and has some relationship with industrial policy and economic policy. Industrial policy is trans-industrial, mainly deals with economic layout, industrial structure and proportion of industries. Economic policy mainly discusses the price, finance, and trade, etc. The technology policy does not involve the issues directly related to economic policy and industrial policy 7 Technology policy concerns the issues integrating technological, economical and social factors. Thus, technology policy becomes the development policy followed both in R&D activity and in economic reconstruction. Generally, technology policy includes: (1) development goals; (2) industrial structure; (3) technology selection; (4) approaches, measures and ways to promote the technology progress. Technology development goals should adapt to the economic development goals, the world technology development and the Chinese technology capability and related economic and social conditions. The industrial structure consists of technology structure, production structure and manufacture structure. It is necessary to analyze the productivity, the technology leve1, the technology capability and the social needs of productions so as to determine the reasonable proportion, scales, layouts, development speed and schedule, technology composition of all kinds of production, and the development direction of main production. In essence, the technology selection is to decide what kind of technology should be adopted, what kind of technology should be developed, and what kind of technology should be restricted or eliminated. The issue is how to make the decision. Usually the integration of economic and social efficiency is given highest priority in selecting technology. Of course, the advancement of technology is an important factor, but it must adapt to technology capability, natural, economic and social condition in China. Therefore, it is necessary to generally evaluate the technology advancement and its economic and social rationality so as to select suitable technology with high potential in promoting national technology progress.
Technology policy can directly prescribe the level of the technology by adopting technology standard measures that enterprises may employ so as to restrict out of date technology and encourage them to employ advanced technology. For example the technology policy on control of pollution emission of diesel vehicle states that diesel vehicles or diesel motors will not be allowed to manufacture, sell and use if they do not meet the standards concerning pollution emission. Technology standards have profound impact on national funding policy for technology development, especially on national science and technology planning. Technology standard is an important policy instrument that has been recognized by Chinese government. For example, National Industry Technology Policy, promulgated in 2002, points out that China should do the following: (1) further enhancing the reconstruction of quality, standard, metrology and safety inspection systems, that adapt to industrial technology development and access to WTO; (2) improving quality management, strengthening quality supervision, promoting quality authentication; (3) actively adopting international standards, speeding up formulation and implementation of industrial technology standards; (4) setting down technology standards so as to restrict the out of date and high polluting technology & products to enter into Chinese market, and promoting Chinese enterprises to enhance their ability to compete with foreign firms so as to support domestic infant industries.
Standardization strongly promotes industry development, especially industrial technology competitiveness. The industries with high level of standardization usually develop much faster than the others. On the contrary, industries with low level of standardization usually lack of competitiveness. National technology policy can promote standard development and the internationalization of Chinese standard system, and improve the standard quality continuously.