Chengdu Encourages Tech Innovation

　　About one half of all iPads circulating around the globe are assembled in the southwestern metropolis¹ of Chengdu.

 

　　Already a hi-tech manufacturing base in the western region, the city is now aiming to become the next Silicon² Valley.

 

　　CRI's Hu Jia has more.

 

　　Tianfu Software Park, one of the top 3 hi-tech clusters here in China, has grown to a size of more than 20-square kilometers over the past two years.

 

　　However, the nearly 10-percent construction expansion, still can't keep up with the surging demand.

 

　　Yang Yu is the vice³ secretary-general of Chengdu's municipal government:

 

　　"We remembered when Intel chose to invest in Chengdu, everyone kept wondering where is Chengdu? But today we're home to 238 Fortune 500 companies. One in every two chips used in laptops worldwide are now made in Chengdu. We hope the total output of IT services will hit 64 billion US dollars in the future."

 

　　Also the number of local mobile internet companies has tripled from last year's level of 150.

 

　　Currently around one third of the top 10 smart phone apps in the AppStore are generated from Chengdu-based firms.

 

　　Camera 360, developed by Pinguo, the most popular photography application running on the Android platform is one example.

 

　　Ding Xiaobing, is the Vice Director General of Chengdu' Science and Technology Bureau.

 

　　He says those efforts made into intellectual property protection and management has contributed to such innovation.

 

　　"Chendu is leading the country's effort in financing through mortgages of companies' IPR. Companies like Pingguo are start-ups without huge capital. They start with a few engineers and a few computers. How do they get loans from the banks, who conventionally ask companies to mortgage a real property? We allow them to mortgage their patents, brandnames and IPR to get loans."

 

　　76 Chengdu companies have used patents as collateral⁴ to raise 660-million yuan of loans by end of 2011.

 

　　Meanwhile, multinational⁵ corporations' have also been won over by the local government's supportive policies.

 

　　Intel is one such company.

 

　　Bian Chenggang is General Manager of Intel Chengdu:

 

　　"We're looking at a certain thought leadership from the government side. The thought leadership is important. I would say the Chengdu government, the Sichuan government, they have the vision. So they'll do a lot of things to change their procedures even for the certain policies employed to encourage the ecosystem⁶ to grow."

 

　　Bian says the talent pool here is another draw for the global chip maker⁷ to continue expanding its investment to the region, which dates back to a decade ago.

 

　　"We assess the educational system, the schools and we understand the curriculums. And we understand the technical pipeline⁸. The talent pool is pretty sufficient for us to operate."

 

　　Sichuan has more than 15 universities with each school enrolling⁹ at least 10 thousand students each year.

 

　　Another selling point for Chengdu, is that the city has cut corporate¹⁰ income tax by 10-percent for companies in some 'encouraged' industries such as IT services, to help increase its competitiveness.

 

　　Whether Chengdu could reach Silicon Valley's level of size or reputation, is debatable, but the city definitely has the potential for growth.

 

　　And the good investment environment is likely to secure the attention of more top or emerging tech companies into the region.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Hu Jia.

1 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

2 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 collateral   

adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品

参考例句：

• Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
• Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押，这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。

5 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

6 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

7 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

8 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

9 enrolling   

v.招收( enrol的现在分词 )；吸收；入学；加入；[亦作enrol]( enroll的现在分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They lashed out at the university enrolling system. 他们猛烈抨击大学的招生制度。 来自辞典例句
• You're enrolling in a country club, Billy. 你是注册加入乡村俱乐部了，比利。 来自辞典例句

10 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。