On Dec. 5^th, 2018, QU Dongyu, the Vice Minster of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) visited the headquarter of French Academy of Agricultural Sciences (INRA) in Pairs, France. During his visit, Minster QU Dongyu and Philippe MAUGUIN, the president of INRA, together inaugurated the International Associated Laboratory (LIA) on Plant Protection between CAAS and INRA. Mr. WANG Hongqian, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department of MARA, Ms. SONG Li, Second Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in Pairs, Prof. ZHANG Huijie, Deputy Director General of the International Cooperation Department of CAAS, Prof. ZHOU Xueping, DG of IPP-CAAS, Dr. CHEN Julian, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Graduate Students, Prof. ZHANG Xueyong, the Chief Scientist from the Institute of Crop Science, CAAS, and Dr. CHEN Tianjin, Deputy Director of the Bilateral Division of the International Cooperation Department of CAAS attended the inauguration ceremony.

　　CAAS and INRA have carried out very close collaborations in the recent years. Top scientists from the two parties have worked together on several aspects such as inva-sion mechanism and control technology for invasive species in China and France, chemoreception mechanism of insect pests on important cash crops, evolution and control of crop pests worldwide, detection and identification of fruit tree viruses, genetics and pathogenic mechanism of Bt strains, comprehensive prevention of plant nematodes diseases. The two parties have published more than 20 research papers on prestigious scientific journals such as Nature. One of the European Horizon 2020 Project “EU-China Lever for IPM Demonstration” (2015.9-2019.8) was successfully funded. In Sep. 2018, DG ZHOU Xueping and President Philippe MAUGUIN signed the Letter of Intent on preparing the International Associated Laboratories on Plant Protection , and the purpose was to implement the projects related to integrated pest management towards innovative biocontrol methods.

　　In the future, the two parties will strengthen the collaboration by taking advantage of the platform. CAAS will seek funding from various sources to support the operation of the LIA. In the meanwhile, INRA will try to get support from the Horizon 2020 program, to conduct collaborative research work on the topics which are interesting to both parties. The International Associated Laboratories on Plant Protection between CAAS and INRA will play an important role in enhancing the yield and quality of the agricultural products, guaranteeing the food safety, and promoting the international compatibility of agricultural science and technology in China.