China Science and Technology Network

China Science and Technology Network
Name	China Science and Technology Network
Native name	国家科技网
Formation	1994
Headquarters	Beijing
Leader title	Director
Parent organization	Ministry of Science and Technology

China Science and Technology Network is a national research and education network established to interconnect Chinese research institute, university, and laboratory networks and to support scientific collaboration among institutions such as Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. It operates within the ecosystem of state agencies including the Ministry of Science and Technology (China), the Ministry of Education (China), and national research infrastructures like the National Supercomputing Center. The network evolved alongside global research networks such as JANET, Internet2, GEANT, and NORDUnet, interacting with international bodies including the International Telecommunication Union and the Internet Engineering Task Force.

History

The network traces origins to early 1990s initiatives parallel to the rise of the World Wide Web, influenced by collaborations between Chinese Academy of Sciences institutes and foreign partners like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CERN, and NASA. Early milestones involved linking national laboratories such as the Institute of High Energy Physics (Beijing), the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, and the Institute of Computing Technology, CAS to regional universities including Fudan University, Zhejiang University, and Harbin Institute of Technology. The project expanded through national programs like the 863 Program and the 973 Program, coordinating with the National Natural Science Foundation of China and engineering efforts at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Subsequent phases aligned with deployments at nodes in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Xi'an, and with cross-border exchanges to hubs in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Tokyo.

Structure and Governance

Governance links ministries and agencies including the Ministry of Science and Technology (China), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Education (China), alongside state research organizations such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Operational control involves national operators like China Telecom, China Unicom, and technology suppliers including Huawei Technologies, ZTE, and equipment makers like HPE and Cisco Systems. Coordination occurs through inter-institutional consortia involving leading universities—Tsinghua University, Peking University, Nanjing University—and labs such as the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology and the National Research Center of Intelligent Computing Systems. Advisory and regulatory frameworks intersect with agencies like the State Internet Information Office and standards organizations including the China Communications Standards Association.

Services and Infrastructure

Services include high-bandwidth backbone links, provision of dedicated circuits for instruments at facilities such as the China Spallation Neutron Source, distributed computing clusters tied to the National Supercomputing Center in Guangzhou and the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, and support for data-intensive projects at observatories like the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope and the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope. Infrastructure comprises fiber-optic submarine and terrestrial routes via operators including China Telecom and China Mobile, network equipment from Huawei Technologies and ZTE, and middleware stacks used by projects at Peking University and Tsinghua University. Services support research platforms such as the China National Grid, authentication federations akin to eduGAIN, and archives for institutions like the National Science Library of China and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Role in Chinese Research and Education Network

The network functions as a backbone for campus networks at institutions such as Fudan University, Wuhan University, Sun Yat-sen University, and Sichuan University, integrating with provincial research networks and national facilities including the Chinese Academy of Sciences' distributed institutes. It enables large-scale collaborations among projects like the Chinese Human Genome Project, the China-UK Newton Fund partnerships, joint work with the European Organization for Nuclear Research and shared experimental data from facilities such as the Chinese Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope. The network interfaces with educational initiatives at the Ministry of Education (China) and supports digital learning platforms used by universities like Peking University and Tsinghua University.

Security, Surveillance, and Censorship Concerns

Operational security involves cooperation with state cybersecurity organs such as the Ministry of Public Security (China) and the China Cyberspace Administration and compliance with laws including the Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China and the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China. Technical controls have been noted in contexts involving content regulation practices applied across networks including those managed by China Telecom and China Mobile, raising scrutiny from international partners such as European Commission and agencies like the United States Department of Homeland Security. Research communities coordinate policies for trusted exchange with counterparts including Internet2 and GEANT while balancing requirements from regulatory bodies like the State Council (China).

International Collaboration and Connectivity

Cross-border links connect to nodes in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, United States, and Europe via peering with providers such as NTT Communications, Level 3 Communications, and exchanges like DE-CIX and HKIX. Collaborative projects have included partnerships with CERN, NASA, the European Space Agency, and bilateral research programs with agencies like the National Science Foundation (United States), the German Research Foundation, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. International governance engagement occurs through organizations including the International Telecommunication Union, World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.

Notable Projects and Initiatives

Notable initiatives leveraging the network include data distribution for the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, compute and storage support for the China-VO astrophysics virtual observatory, grid services for the Chinese Human Genome Project, federated authentication pilots inspired by eduGAIN, and high-performance links for the China Spallation Neutron Source and the National Supercomputing Centers. Collaborations with industry have supported deployments of technologies from Huawei Technologies and research partnerships with institutions like Tsinghua University, Peking University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and international collaborators such as CERN and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Category:Communications in the People's Republic of China Category:Research and education networks