China promotes building int'l agricultural sci-tech exchange platform in Hainan

Chen Qing (L), a professor at the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, harvests cassava with a Nigeria student at an experimental field under Nanfan breeding base in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, May 15, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Duojiang)

HAIKOU, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) plans to establish an influential agricultural science and technology exchange and cooperation platform in south China's Hainan Province to help ensure food security with global partners.

According to a plan for high-quality innovation development in Hainan, released by CAAS at a conference in Sanya City, Hainan, on Wednesday, the academy aims to establish a leading global agricultural science center by 2035, and support the construction and operation of the global introduction and transit base for animal and plant germplasm resources and the improvement of the free trade port system in Hainan.

The plan proposes the construction of a cross-border international exchange center in Sanya, which will strengthen international cooperation and exchanges with Belt and Road Initiative partner countries in Southeast Asia and other regions. It will also promote collaboration with international agricultural organizations such as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

According to the plan, the CAAS will focus on the origins and diversity centers of tropical and subtropical crops, countries rich in germplasm resources, and international agricultural research centers along the "Belt and Road" routes to carry out exchanges and cooperative research on germplasm resources.

Wu Kongming, president of the CAAS, said the academy would promote international exchanges and cooperation, and engage in collaborative research on major scientific issues, focusing on global common challenges such as climate change, food security and biological security. Efforts will be made to establish an international public platform for biological breeding and a modern agricultural technology innovation platform for international cooperation.

At the conference, the National Nanfan Research Institute of the CAAS and the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation launched a project to promote the China-Africa research partnership capacity. The project will support 10 to 20 African young scholars to receive a 12-month training at the Nanfan institute to enhance the agricultural research system capabilities of sub-Saharan African countries.

The CAAS is also cooperating with the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) to establish the China-Africa Agricultural Science Technology and Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA), to promote agricultural modernization in Africa through coordination development of technology and industry.

Felix Dapare Dakora, former president of the African Academy of Sciences and a senior advisor of the CAAS, said at the conference in Sanya that China's experience in eliminating hunger and poverty, particularly through agricultural sci-tech advancement, might offer African countries an inspiring option in attaining the sustainable development goals.

Chinese and African scientists will conduct joint research on agricultural technologies adapted to local conditions for increased food production and sustainable agricultural development in Africa, Dakora said, adding that the two sides will jointly train young African scientists and PhD students in China.