Director General ZHOU Xueping met with the high-level delegation of French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA), led by Olivier LE GALL, the Deputy Director General of Scientific Affairs of INRA, on 15 March, 2016. The members of the INRA delegation include Hélène LUCAS, Science Administrator of INRA Versailles, Robert HABIB, the Head of International Affairs of INRA, and INRA representations in China LI Zheng and LIU Sirui. The two parties exchanged ideas on how to promote further collaboration. The DDG Le Gall and his teamhad also a detailed panel discussion on the fields and intention of further collaboration with experts at IPP. Dr. CHEN Julian, the Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Graduate Student, IPP, hosted the meeting.

Director General Zhou showed the warm welcome to DDG Le Gall and his colleagues and introduced the overview of IPP on research, personnel training, international exchange, platform, etc. He also expressed the hope for strengthening the collaboration and exchange between IPP and INRA. DDG Le GALL introduced the overview of INRA and the priorities of INRA's collaboration fields in agricultural research. He hoped to deepen the collaboration in plant protection with IPP. Associate Prof. Yang Nianwan introduced the Green Control in Plant Protection under 'the Belt and the Road initiative', the vision and action, the tactics and plan and the way of collaboration. DDG Le GALL showed great interest. Therewith, the Delegation and IPP scientists exchanged and discussed the basis and the intention of collaboration in agricultural entomology, plant pathology, invasive biology, biological control, etc., and reached consensus of collaboration.

DDG Le Gall's visit deepened the understanding to the research carried out at IPP and established the basis for mutual multi-disciplinary collaboration and establishment of platform. IPP scientists Profs. Wang Xifeng, Wang Zhongyue, and Liu Taiguo from the Department of Plant Pathology, Prof. Ma Chunsen and Dr. Zhang Shuai from the Department of Agricultural Entomology, Prof. Wan Fanghao from the Department of BiologicalInvasions, Prof. Song Fuping from the Department of Biotechnology for Plant Protection and Dr. Wang Lixia, the Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Graduate Student attended the meeting.