China, Australia seek wider, deeper technological cooperation

CANBERRA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- China and Australia vowed on Thursday to cooperate on science and technology in a wider scope and at a deeper level, according to a joint committee of technological cooperation convened on Thursday.

China-Australia cooperation in science, technology and innovation has a solid foundation and a long history, which is an important part of the bilateral relationship, said a statement of the 10th China-Australia Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation held in the Australian capital Canberra.

Over the past decades, cooperation in science, technology and innovation between China and Australia has achieved fruitful results and played an important supporting role in the economic and social development of the two countries, the statement said.

At the meeting, both sides introduced the science and technology innovation policies of the two countries, reviewed the cooperation achievements in recent years, and reached a broad consensus on continuing to deepen bilateral science and technology cooperation.

The two sides agreed to take this meeting as a new starting point to carry out mutually beneficial cooperation in a wider scope and at a deeper level, so as to make more contributions to the scientific and technological progress and improvement of people's livelihood in the two countries as well as globally.

The meeting was attended by more than 30 representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Embassy in Australia, as well as Australia's Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.