For nearly a quarter of a century, the People's Republic of China By 1953, the Communists were prepared to expand the existing system and to link the major provincial cities to Peking by open wire trunklines. Substantial progress was made during the First Five-Year Plan (1953-57), although the Chinese were heavily dependent on Soviet and East European equipment and technology. In 1958, as part of the euphoric Great Leap Forward, Peking announced a new 4-year plan to establish a modern telecommunications system, complete with high-capacity microwave radio relay and coaxial cable trunk routes. Shortages of material and equipment, the withdrawal of Soviet assistance in mid-1960, and the general collapse of the Leap Forward forced the Chinese to postpone their highly ambitious program. After a pause in the early 1960's, expansion of the telecommunications system was again given high priority. Greater attention was given to the development of the electronics industry. Complete plants for the production of electronic components and test instrumentation were imported from the West. The Cultural Revolution (1966-69) caused a sharp but short-lived cut in industrial. production. The adverse effect on the production of telecommunications equipment was temporary, and the technological improvement and the expansion of the capacity of the electronics industry continued. The most significant achievement during China's current Five-Year Plan (1971-75) has been the construction of an arterial network of long-distance telecommunications facilities to provide the transmission base for future increases in the flow of conventional and specialized telephone, telegraph, and video traffic. Other achievements during this period have been the spread of radio, wire diffusion, and television broadcasting facilities and the establishment of a nationwide television network. This has been accomplished by substantial increases in the production of radio and television receivers and wire loudspeakers. Progress also has been made in augmenting both facsimile facilities and automating conventional telegraph operations as well as in enlarging and automating telephone exchanges. These achievements have fulfilled China's basic needs for long-range development of a domestic telecommunications system. Progress also has been made in developing China's international telecommunications. Since 1972, three standard Intelsat ground stations have been purchased from the United States. A coaxial cable link has been established between Canton and Hong Kong, and agreement has been reached with a Japanese consortium to lay a coaxial submarine cable from Shanghai to Japan. Efforts also are being made to improve the quality of radiotelephone circuits and to expand international telecommunications by using the transit relay services offered by major world telecommunications centers. Despite these successes, China still has far to go before it can attain a telecommunications capability comparable to Western systems. Telephones continue to be in short supply. Telegraph service is limited by the nature of the written language. Use of a numeric code partly overcomes this problem, and the Chinese are starting to use computercontrolled electrostatic printers and facsimile equipment. Plans are also under way to introduce color television on a national scale even though the black-and-white system is only narrowly developed. China cannot solve its many telecommunications problems within the next 5 years unless an unparalleled effort is made to import large quanti ties of costly Western equipment and technology. The more likely course is moderate progress based on expanded domestic output of telecommunications products and import of key products and equipment for their manufacture. II. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT Rehabilitation (1949–52) When the Communists seized control of the mainland in late 1949, they took possession of the primitive war-damaged telecommunications system established by the Nationalists. Effective service was limited to Manchuria, to isolated sections around large coastal cities, and to a few interior cites. Facilities included a heterogeneous mixture of obsolete equipment badly in need of repair. Capacity was too small and service too undependable to meet the needs of the new government. The immediate task of the newly formed Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) was to restore the existing system. Primary goals included extension of coverage, improvement of service, modernization of facilities, and training of technicians and skilled communication operators. By 1952, the telecommunication system was restored to the level reached in about 1936. First Five-Year Plan (1953-57) The principal objectives of the First Five-Year Plan were to establish communications links between Peking and major provincial points. Long-distance open-wire telephone lines were strung between Peking and most provincial capitals; point-to-point radio communications service was improved; conference telephone service was introduced; and domestic production of telecommunications equipment was increased. Twelve-channel carrier equipment was introduced on some trunk routes, and the principle of the four-stage radial link system was adopted, using Peking as the center, for organizing the long-distance telephone network. In contrast to these achievements, the First Five-Year Plan period was also an era of overzealousness and poor planning. For example, the 1956 plan for agricultural development included the goal of building a broadcasting and telecommunications network throughout rural China within 7 to 12 years. Similarly, the 12-year plan for the development of science and technology was supposed to result in the development of systems and equipment that match the most advanced world standards. Notwithstanding these grandiose plans, by the end of 1957, China was still unable to meet the demand for long-distance telephone service between principal cities. Many of the newly constructed main lines suffered from shortages of circuits and poor connections. Intraprovince services were inadequate, and new industrial centers were not provided with adequate facilities. Great Leap Forward (1958-60) During the Great Leap Forward, the MPT planned a massive extension and improvement of national telecommunications facilities. An important consideration in this period was the need to service mush rooming industrial construction sites. A second factor was the urgent need for improving the primitive telecommunications systems in the countryside where huge agricultural communes were being established. A third factor requiring improved telecommunications was the increasing importance of the telephone conference as the most practical device for coordinating government operations. Finally, the rapid development of foreign relations called for expansion of international communications links. Following the successful initial 5-year plan, the government drew up a Second Five-Year Plan for 1958-62. This plan was quickly superseded by the ill-fated attempt at instantaneous industrialization known as the Great Leap Forward. Under the plan, telecommunications goals for the period included: Laying underground cables along the principal long-distance telecommunications routes, Installing semiautomatic and automatic telephone-telegraph exchange facilities in key communications centers, Increasing the capacity of intracity telephone facilities, Establishing microwave radio relay systems, Increasing the number and power of point-to-point radio facil ities. Substantially increasing the radio broadcasting and wire diffusion networks, and Establishing network television between major cities. Telecommunications enterprises, according to Chinese claims, made outstanding achievements during 1958. By the end of the year, there was an increase of 72,000 kilometers of long-distance telephone lines, and more than 288.900 kilometers of hsien (county) telephone lines were set up. A total of 102,000 municipal telephones were installed, and about 120,000 square meters of floor space for production were constructed. The output of 1-, 3-, and 12-channel carrier equipment increased; 60-channel and 240-channel microwave radio relay equipment was reportedly in trial manufacture; 60-channel multiconductor cable also was trial produced; and aluminum telephone wire was used for the first time to conserve copper. Similar achievements in telecommunications were reported in the first half of 1959. During the latter half of the year, however, there was a marked decline in such reporting. Accounts of shortages of materials and equipment began to appear in the Chinese press. The Soviet technical experts, who had been instrumental in getting the program off the ground, were summarily withdrawn in mid-1960, as a result of the widening Sino-Soviet rift. Suddenly, most of the on-going telecommunications projects came to halt in the general collapse of the Leap Forward. Readjustment and Recovery (1961–65) During the early 1960's, China revived its goal of a greatly expanded and more reliable telecommunications system. This goal was reflected in the expansion of the open-wire system, additional use of multichannel carrier equipment, and increasing interest in wideband telecommunications. High-capacity coaxial cable was trial produced at the Shanghai Electrical Cable Plant. This cable was reportedly capable of transmitting both telephone and television traffic simultaneously. Without Soviet assistance, the Chinese had to rely on their own domestic capabilities. As the economy recovered in the mid-1960's, the government was able to give greater attention to the development of the electronics industry. Complete plants to produce electronic components and prototype equipment began to be ordered from the West. Delegations of Chinese telecommunications experts toured plants and transmission facilities in Japan and Western Europe. They sought the latest technology in telephone exchange and transmission systems, coaxial and microwave carrier systems, computers, facsimile transmission equipment, and telex service. Cultural Revolution (1966–69) Once more, a period of political turbulence, the Cultural Revolution, put a crimp in the development of telecommunications. Imports of equipment from the non-Communist world declined, and technical exchanges were terminated. Fourth Five-Year Plan (1971-75) Following the winding down of the Cultural Revolution in 1969 and a transitional year, 1970, China reestablished regular economic planning. Included in the new Fourth Five-Year Plan was a massive effort to establish a modern telecommunications system to support rising economic and defense requirements. The construction programwhich has proceeded with startling speed-has a priority claim on scarce resources, particularly products of the electronics industry. In the 5 years since 1969, the Chinese have constructed a nationwide network of wideband carrier telecommunications trunklines consisting of both microwave radio relay and buried cable. The new system connects Peking with most of the provincial capitals and autonomous regions. An early benefit has been the transmission of live television broadcasts from Peking to newly constructed provincial televison networks. The government also has taken steps to improve China's international telecommunications. Three standard Intelsat ground stations were purchased from the United States in 1972 for installation at Peking and Shanghai; a nonstandard facility was imported from Japan. A coaxial cable link has been established between Canton and Hong Kong. And agreement has been reached with a Japanese consortium to lay a submarine cable link from Shanghai to Kumamoto in Japan. Under a new policy of self-reliance, provinces and municipalities were made responsible for providing the manpower and material resources to develop local telecommunications systems. Numerous small plants were built to assemble or produce a variety of telecommunications equipment and components. Thousands of peasants were pressed into service to assist in construction of wire broadcasting and telephone transmission lines. This use of local initiative and resources has enabled China to more quickly flesh out the national telecommunications system. |