On September 23rd, the "China-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation Symposium" co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was held online and offline simultaneously. The two sides conducted academic exchanges in key areas such as food safety, urban agriculture and veterinary medicine, and signed the first Memorandum of Understanding to establish a mechanism for China-UAE cooperation in agricultural science and technology. H.E. Mr. Ni Jian, Chinese Ambassador to UAE, H.E. Dr. Ali Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to China, Professor Sun Tan, Vice President of CAAS, and Professor Mohammed Hassan Ali, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of UAEU attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

H.E. Ambassador Ni Jian stated that China and UAE both attach great importance to food security and agricultural scientific and technological innovation, and that the national scientific research institutions of the two countries have established a comprehensive and close cooperation, which will certainly promote the high-quality and sustainable development of agriculture in both countries.

H.E. Ambassador Dhaheri emphasized that China is a global leader in many fields of agricultural science and technology, and that there is huge potential for cooperation between two sides in food security and sustainable development.

Professor Sun Tan affirmed that scientific and technological innovation is the key to tackle global challenges of food security and climate change. He added that both sides should strengthen cooperation in biological breeding, plant factory, food processing, animal husbandry, veterinary medicine, and smart agriculture under the framework of the MOU to provide strong support for the agricultural development of both countries.

Professor Mohammed Hassan Ali said that the signing of the MOU reflects the commitments of both sides to join hands to address common challenges, and that the integration of resources will have a positive impact in the international academic community.

Participants had in-depth discussions on key cooperation areas such as food safety, urban agriculture and veterinary medicine, and exchanged ideas on other research directions of mutual interest.

More than 50 representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Chinese and UAE embassies, CAAS and UAEU attended the meeting.

By Zhang Shuai (zhangshuai@caas.cn)