text: Scientific and Technical Information of China has wide Interna­ tional contacts and has established regularS and T Information exchange with 63 countries or regions and 53 International -or·ga­nlzatlons, Including over 2,000 counterparts. It has joined UNESCO, PGJ, FlO, ISO and other such International organizations and has developed cooperation arrangements with Information cen­ters In Thailand, the Philippines, France, the United Kingdom• the United States, Japan, Canada, Sweden, Federal Republic of Germany, etc. It also keeps computer on-1·1ne contacts with fnformatlon centers In Europe end the United States. In 1983, It had over 150.000 customers end edited, translated and published 376 journals·or·books. Sectoral Information systems : China has at present over 30 S and T Information Institutes at the sectoral level. The major ones·are In the Ministries of Agr leu lture, Transportation, Coal Industry, Petroleum Industry, Post and Telecommunications. Machine Industry, Metal lurglcal Industry, Chemical Industry and Electronics Industry. Such Institutes also exist In the areas of health, ·textile Industry, urban construction, building materials, geology, ocean• etc.. Administratively, these Institutes are under the jurisdic­ tion of the respective ministries, while professionally, they oct under the guidance of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information In China. (.;I Statistics on science and technology activities : Apart from the State Bureau of Statistics which complies statistics on a limited number of SandT Indicators, there exist no other specialized organizations In China for such activities. Lack of coordination and unified plan has resulted In scattered_ statistical work constituting,a major defect InS .and T ma~ageaent. Weaknesses related to scientific and technological inforaatfon : Major weaknesses In thJ_s regard are (1) the means of Informa­ tion collection, storage, retrlevaJ,etc. are backward; (2) as no •tandardlzed Chinese character processing system has been ·estab­ lished, language barrier poses 8 great constraint on the use of 
analysis: The text appears to focus on the scientific and technical information infrastructure of China, highlighting its international connections, sectoral information systems, and statistics on science and technology activities. It also mentions weaknesses in the means of information collection, storage, and retrieval, as well as the lack of a standardized Chinese character processing system. Given these details, it seems likely that the text is related to the field of science and technology.