On April 12th, Dr. Sun Tan, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), met with Carlos Watson, the new representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to China. Both sides had in-depth exchanges on further strengthening cooperation, especially speeding up the implementation of “FAO-CAAS Regional Innovation Center”.

Dr. Sun emphasized that CAAS has long adhered to international cooperation in global agricultural science and technology and attached great importance to partnerships with international organizations such as FAO. The two sides, said Dr. Sun, should use FAO-CAAS Regional Innovation Center as a platform, give full play to their respective advantages, expand the areas of cooperation in an all-round way, and provide innovative support for food security, sustainable development, and poverty reduction in China and the world. At the same time, we hope to promote the third phase of the China-FAO South-South Cooperation Trust Fund to focus on cooperation in agricultural science and technology innovation and jointly facilitate the construction of the global sustainable food system.

Mr. Watson said that FAO China Office will jointly formulate relevant work schedules with CAAS and maintain communication with the FAO headquarters to promote the implementation of the Regional Innovation Center as soon as possible. Meanwhile, it will continue to push forward FAO's innovative cooperation in China, continuously further improve the sustainable development of China's food and agriculture, and share China's practical experience with other parties.

Relevant staff from the Department of International Cooperation of CAAS and FAO China Office participated in the meeting.

By Zhu Jinjin (zhujinjin@caas.cn)