Recently, a dozen international and domestic cell phone makers signed up with Beijing's Hopen Software Engineering Corporation, a high-tech company in Zhong Guan Cun, to adopt its new operating system. It is the first time a national software product has entered the high-end cell phone market.

According to Zhong Xichang, president of Hopen Software Engineering, the contract estimates that 800,000 mobile phones throughout the world will be using the Chinese operating system this year. In other words, the market for top quality cell phones will be dominated by three major players － Microsoft in America, Symbian in Europe and Hopen in China. 

Zhong Xichang says in terms of the global market for high-grade mobile phones, they're likely to surpass Microsoft. They have the number one, Symbian, in their sights, so their goal for next year is to exceed sales of 3 million.

In Beijing's Zhong Guan Cun Science and Technology Park, output of high-tech industries led by communications and bio-medical products has grown by almost 14 percent in the first four months of this year. That's despite the impact SARS has had on business activity. And high-tech companies with independent intellectual property rights have been putting in some particularly strong performances.

Liu Zhuojun, an official from the high-tech park management committee says the committee will try to help enterprises get through this difficult time. 

He says to help enterprises develop further in the face of the SARS crisis, they are promoting the concept of an "immunity economy", and trying to help enterprises offset risks particularly in times of crisis. The science park has set aside 100 million yuan to develop more cutting-edge technology.
ZY, CRI news.