BEIJING - China should surpass Japan this year to become the world's No. 2 investor in research and development after the United States, an international economic group said Monday.

Chinese companies and the government are spending heavily on trying to create new technologies in areas from telecommunications to biotech. They're also trying to reduce reliance on foreign know-how, which Communist leaders see as a strategic weakness.

Among other Asian economies, South Korea 's research spending ranked seventh worldwide at about $24 billion, followed closely by India, the OECD report said. It said Taiwan was in 12th place at $15 billion.

President Hu Jintao and other leaders have called for China to become an "innovation society," boosting the role of technology in driving growth and reducing reliance on investment and low-wage industries.

China's research and development spending as a percentage of its economic output has more than doubled to 1.3 percent, up from 0.6 percent in 1995, according to the 252-page OECD report, "Science, Technology and Industry Outlook." It said research spending is growing even faster than the overall economy.

The 30-nation OECD includes the United States, Japan and most European Union members. China is not a member.

"China's plan to become a major innovation economy by 2020 is probably the most significant (among developing countries) as it will launch a series of reforms and strategic projects to make research and innovation the motor of its new economic development strategy," the OECD report said.

In May, the government suffered an embarrassing setback when a scientist at a leading Shanghai university was revealed to have faked research on a computer chip that state media had hailed as a major breakthrough.

Still more Chinese scientists work abroad due to lack of opportunity at home. Beijing is trying to lure them back by expanding university labs, opening research parks and offering quick promotions to returning academics.

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New Delhi, Dec. 5 (ANI): India today signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Canada to strengthen the science and technology ties.

The MoUs were signed between the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food of Canada (AAFC) and National Research Council, (NRC) Canada in the presence of Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal.

MoU signed between AAFC Deputy Minister Leonard Edwards and DBT Secretary Dr M.K. Bhan, provides for exchange of scientific information and facilitate exchange of scientists, besides cooperation in the areas of food processing and storage; bio-pesticides and bio-fertilisers; agricultural biotechnology; biomass utilisation; and water quality.

Another MoU signed between NRC, Canada Vice President Dr. Roman Szumski and, DBT Senior Adviser Dr. S. Natesh aims to promote research collaboration in the field of biotechnology of mutual interest.

Harnessing plants for improving human and animal health, understanding and exploiting genomics of plants are the identified priorities for initial collaboration. (ANI)

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