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The unveiling ceremony of the first batch of China-Africa Joint Center for Modern Agrotechnology Exchange, Demonstration and Training was held in CATAS

Author:Division of International Cooperation of CATAS From:CATAS Date:2022-03-07 Hits:

        On December 15th, the unveiling ceremony of the first batch of China-Africa China-Africa Joint Center for Modern Agrotechnology Exchange, Demonstration and Training was held in Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS). The event was presided over by Sui Pengfei, head of Department of International Cooperation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, to which Ma Youxiang, vice-minister of the ministry addressed via video link. Besides of that, the ceremony was attended by Liu Pingzhi, vice-governor of Hainan Province, Rahmat Allah Mohamed Osman, ambassador of African Union to China, Wang Qinghuang, president of CATAS, Cui Pengwei, party secretary of CATAS and Liu Guodao, vice-president of CATAS.

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Ma Youxiang, vice-minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China addressed to the ceremony.


Ma Youxiang emphasized the importance of establishing China-Africa Joint Center for Modern Agrotechnology Exchange, Demonstration and Training  in China as they served as a practical measure to implement key initiatives of President Xi Jinping and marked a new chapter of agricultural cooperation between China and Africa. The centers were built to facilitate high level agricultural cooperation between the two by gathering resources and giving better play to China's advantages in system, technology, industry, talents and facilities. Ma called on the Chinese society and African society to promote the development of the centers by conducting efficient and people-centered projects. The vice-minister planned to build these centers into “incubators” and “propellers” for exchange of agricultural policy and personnel information as well as cooperation on agricultural scientific research and industrial economic and trade. In that case, the centers could serve as models of agricultural cooperation between China and Africa.


      Liu Pingzhi said that there were so many similarities of climate, resources, industry between Africa and Hainan, the only tropical island province in China, which provided a great number of cooperation opportunities between the two. During the past years, Hainan and Africa had seen fruitful results in international sister cities, dialogue platforms, economic and trade exchanges, industrial cooperation and so on. Liu expected that with the help of beneficial policies of Hainan Free Trade Port, Hainan could deepen its agricultural collaboration with African countries.

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Liu Pingzhi, vice-governor of Hainan Province, delivered a speech.


       Rahmat Allah Mohamed Osman stressed that agriculture was the basis of the development of Africa and a key field for China and Africa to work together. To implement “Comprehensive Development Plan of African Agriculture”, a flagship project of Agenda 2063 of Africa Union and “Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024)” which was released recently, China and Africa needed to advance cooperation on food security and post-harvest loss reduction, which could support the agricultural development of Africa and enhance added value in Africa agriculture.

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Rahmat Allah Mohamed Osman, ambassador of African Union to China, gave a speech on the ceremony.


      Wang Qinghuang, said CATAS, as the best Chinese academic institution of comprehensive science research on tropical agriculture carried out a series of exchanges with Africa under the framework of One Belt, One Road and the China Africa Cooperation Forum. This unveiling ceremony of joint centers was an innovative practice to facilitate modernization of Africa agriculture, which could contribute to in-depth agricultural cooperation between China and Africa and the establishment of closer relationship of agricultural cooperation between the two.

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Wang Qinghuang, president of CATAS, gave an address.

      

       Dr. Qin Xiaowei of CATAS, a youth science and technology representative delivered a speech on behalf of Chinese teachers and Dr. Thomas from a training course of CATAS addressed to the ceremony via video link. 

   “China-Africa Joint Center for Modern Agrotechnology Exchange, Demonstration and Training ” was a key part of “the poverty reduction and agricultural development program”, one of “the nine projects” unveiled in the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The first batch of joint centers authorized by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China were CATAS, Freshwater Fisheries Research Center of Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Biogas Institute of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Agricultural Technology Exchange and Training Demonstration Base of Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Yangling Demonstration Zone.


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The first batch of four joint centers were authorized.

      Also, the event was attended by ambassadors of African countries including Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Sudan to China and representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Hainan Province and Foreign Affairs office of Hainan Province.







    World Tropical Zone