On December 16th, the Handover and Planting Ceremony of UAE-donated Date Palm Seedlings to China took place in Coconut Research Institute of 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 Ali Al Dhaheri, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to China, Dai Qingyun, first-class inspector of General Office of the People’s Government of Hainan Province, Cui Pengwei, party secretary of CATAS and Liu Guodao, vice-president of CATAS.

        Ma Youxiang said that the donation of 100,000 date palm seedlings by the United Arab Emirates to China was a key consensus between Chinese president Xi Jinping and Abu Dhabi crown prince of the United Arab Emirates. China and the United Arab Emirates cooperated on date palm many times through CATAS. This handover and planting marked a new field of agricultural cooperation between the two as the transplanting of 1,500 date palm seedlings would promote the whole industry chain cooperation of China and the United Arab Emirates. China would worked together with the United Arab Emirates to prompt date palm industry to grow larger and stronger.

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

     Ali Al Dhaheri said 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates during which the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the United Arab Emirates would usher in new historical opportunities. The first batch of 1,500 date palm seedlings showed the determination of China and the United Arab Emirates to deal with issues including climate change, environmental protection, biodiversity. Also, the donation and transplanting would facilitate the in-depth cooperation on whole industry chain of date palm. He wished the seedlings sturdy growth and great fruits, just as the friendship between China and the United Arab Emirates.

Ali Al Dhaheri, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to China, gave a speech.

       Ni Jian, Chinese ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, said that these little seedlings showed how much attention leaders of China and the United Arab Emirates paid to the development of bilateral relationship. The shipping of these seedlings to China pioneered the introduction and date palm trees into China and marked a new chapter of practical cooperation of agriculture between the two countries.

Ni Jian, Chinese ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, delivered a speech.

     Dai Qingyun said it was the great importance Hainan provincial government attached to implement consensus on agriculture between the heads of China and the United Arab Emirates that supported the preparation of this project. Now, Hainan worked on the development of the free trade port with benchmark of the world’s highest level of opening up. Furthermore, the island focused on developing high-efficiency agriculture with tropical characteristics, which would provide scientific and technological, talent and resource support for the scientific and technological cooperation of China and the United Arab Emirates date palm seedling industry.

Dai Qingyun, first-class inspector of General Office of the People’s Government of Hainan Province, gave an address.

       Ali Al Dhaheri handed over tree information plaque to Sui Pengfei. After the ceremony, the guests visited the national tropical palm germplasm resources nursery of CATAS and abundant palm Germplasm Resources preserved by Coconut Research Institute of CATAS.

Date palm seedlings were donated.

     The ambassador visited date palm isolation and quarantine nursery and learned the introduction, isolation, quarantine and pilot planting plan of the first batch of date palm seedlings. Guided by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, the introduction was finished by the principle of “introduction in batches, planting at mutil-locations, stepwise refinement”. Supported by the project “pilot introduction and risk assessment of date palm” of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, the introduction of the first batch date palm seedlings was successful.

    Witnessed by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, the People’s Government of Hainan Province and Haikou Customs District of the People’s Republic of China, Ali Al Dhaheri and Sui Pengfei planted the first “friendship tree of China and the United Arab Emirates”. The ambassador said he would come back to taste “the fruit of friendship” when the trees began to bear fruit.

Administrators planted the first “friendship tree of China and the United Arab Emirates” together. 

     The ceremony was attended by representatives from Department of International Cooperation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Department of Development and Planting of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in the People’s Republic of China, Embassy of China in the United Arab Emirates, General Office of the People’s Government of Hainan Province, Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Government of Hainan Province, Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan Province, the People’s Government of Wenchang City, Haikou Customs District of the People’s Republic of China, Wenchang Customs District of the People’s Republic of China and CATAS.

Group photo of “friendship forest of date palm between China and the United Arab Emirates”.