China credited with 4 of top 10 global engineering feats

China has four major engineering feats listed among this year's Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements, according to the journal Engineering, one of China's most prestigious scientific publications.

The four projects are the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope; hybrid rice; the Three Gorges Hydroelectric Power Station; and the ultrahigh voltage transmission project.

The other six engineering achievements on the list were realized by other countries: AlphaGo, a computer program that plays the board game Go; AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence program the predicts protein structure; the development and application of the CRISPR/Cas9 Gene editing technique; extreme ultraviolet lithography systems; 5G mobile communication technology; and public health epidemic prevention and control measures to combat COVID-19, the InSight Mars Lander by the United States.

The achievements are major engineering projects or breakthroughs with global influence that have been completed in the past five years and have proved their worth, the journal said. They represent the highest level of engineering science and technology in their respective fields.

These achievements have integrated a wide range of technological systems and resources, made distinct contributions in the engineering principles of safety, precision and sustainability, and promoted industrial and socioeconomic growth for the betterment of humanity.

The journal Engineering is published by the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The list was created by a global panel of engineers and technicians. The process consisted of an international call for nominations and recommendations, public surveys and final screenings by a selection committee.

The journal plans to organize the selection of Global Top Ten Engineering Achievements annually and publish the list worldwide.