China "perfect partner" with Spain, Europe for scientific cooperation, say experts

BARCELONA, Spain, April 21 (Xinhua) -- China is a "perfect partner" for scientific and technological cooperation with Spain and Europe, said experts at a roundtable discussion organized by the Casa Asia and the Confucius Institute in Barcelona on Thursday.

As part of the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of China-Spain diplomatic relations, the panel discussion on the theme of "The New European Framework for Collaboration in Science, Innovation and Technology with China" analyzed how the two sides can improve their cooperation in science, technology and innovation.

"With China, Europe seeks a more open strategy based more on mutually beneficial cooperation, and the enormous scientific development we've seen in the past few years in China makes it the perfect partner for institutions in Europe and Spain," Barcelona's Chief Science and Tech Envoy and CEO of SciTech DiploHub, Alexis Roig, told Xinhua.

The panel deliberated on cooperation in multiple areas, including the health field, as China is a leader in this sphere, and Spain, especially Barcelona, has become a hub for life and biosciences, while another key area discussed was energy.

"Europe takes green transition very seriously and the development of technology and knowledge in this sphere, and China is investing heavily in this sector. There are cooperation projects related to this but also mobility, nuclear fusion and ways of providing us with green and unlimited energy," added Roig.

"Cooperation between the European Union and other countries is fundamental if we want to make new progress, and as China is a global leader in research and innovation, cooperation with countries like that is essential," said Aida Diaz, an expert on international policy.

Also among the topics was the development of joint projects within the framework of Horizon Europe, the European Union's flagship scientific research initiative, which runs from 2021 to 2027 with a budget of 95.5 billion euros (about 104 billion U.S. dollars).

"Important steps have been made in the past 10 years but there's still a lot to learn so that we get to know each other better, create bridges and links, and for researchers on both sides to make contact and take things further," added Diaz.