This month sees the release of the finalized Outline of China's National Plan for Education Reform and Development (2010-2020). Also in this month, Minister WAN Gang outlined priority development areas for health technology. Accompanying the new education development plan comes new statistics on the achievement of Chinese education. China also launched “Research on Global Change”, a new national key science and technology project to address global changes caused by climate change. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology identifies High Technology-related Service Industry as a new priority development area.

As Chinese government repeatedly stress the importance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), this month’s newsletter starts with an overview of the role SME plays in China and how the Chinese government has been supporting SME’s development. This month also sees ten year anniversary of national science and technology library, the release of Chinese Medium and Long-Term Talent Development Plan, the establishment of green leap center, the determination of the government to improve psychiatric hospitals and the opening of 6th International Education Fair in Wuhan.

As the world focuses its attention on Shanghai for the opening of EXPO, this month's newsletter starts by a discussion of how science and technology is presented in the carnival. This month also sees the approval of China's Medium and Long Term Education Development Plan, the official unveiling of Chinese character internet domain names, the beginning of nation-wide Science and Technology week, and the first-in-25 years performance appraisal of National Natural Science Foundation.

In the eve of the opening of the 2010 Shanghai Expo – which will be covered in the May 2010 issue – the newsletter of this month will start with an introduction of South University of Science and Technology of China as a testing ground for China's higher education reform. Also in this month, the Ministry of Science and Technology made public its budget for 2010. April also sees China's development in bio-tech, solar farm and lunar probe projects.

The newsletter of this month will start with a summary of the recently released draft of the State Guidelines for Medium-to- Long-Term Education Reform and Development Plan. To further adapt education to the current trend, Ministry of Education called for the opening of new bachelor programs and established a Guiding Committee to promote secondary vocational education. This month also sees the progress in China's high-speed railway construction as well as China's anti-H1N1 flue medicine.

The newsletter of this month will start with the main objectives for educational development 2010 that the new education minister, Mr. Yuan Guiren will have to prioritize. It includes the educational development with strategic importance in accordance with the development plan for national economic and social progresses, to further advance the reform on educational system, to optimize the structure of education, to improve education quality and efficiency so that educational development will adapt to the social and economic development.

2010 will find Chinese policymakers increasingly focused on formulating the country's 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP) for Economic and Social Development (2011-2015). As a blueprint for laying out China's national policy priorities for the coming 5 years, the final 12th FYP to emerge will be leaded by the Strategic Planning Department of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's lead planning agency. This edition will also inform you about the SSSTC Program that launches its 4th call for proposal for Faculty and Student Exchange, in all disciplines, with deadlines being set on March 15th, 2010. On January 15th, hundreds of thousands of Chinese turned skyward in the afternoon, attracted by the planet's longest annular solar eclipse in 1,000 years, as it crossed China. It was visible in parts of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces as well as Chongqing municipality.