Summary for 11^th MARA-CABI Steering committee meeting and new plaque unveiling ceremony for MARA-CABI Joint Laboratory was co-organized by IPP-CAAS and MARA-CABI Joint Lab on 27 April 2019. WANG Hongqian, DDG of Department of International Cooperation, MARA, and Ulli Kuhlmann, Executive Director Global Operations, CABI, unveiled the new plaque for MARA-CABI Joint Laboratory. WU Lifeng, Director of European Division, Department of International Cooperation, MARA, HAO Weiping, DDG of Department of International Cooperation, CAAS, and ZHOU Xueping, DG of IPP-CAAS, witnessed the plaque unveiling ceremony.
DDG WANG Hongqian reviewed the strategic partnership between China and CABI and confirmed the name of Joint Lab as MARA-CABI Joint Laboratory for Biosafety. He pointed out that the word “rural affairs” greatly enhanced the function and expanded the research field for the Joint Lab. He also gave two suggestions on the development of the Joint Lab: 1) scientists from both sides should work closely with each other to carry out actual collaboration relying on the joint lab. More importantly, you should take good advantage of the newly-established “MARA China-CABI European Laboratory”, share advanced scientific ideas and technologies, and make major contributions to the development of China agriculture; 2) CABI, as an international organization, has more advantages in building multilateral agricultural collaboration. I hope CABI, relying on the joint lab, will work together with the Chinese colleagues to practice the idea of “Community of common destiny”, to integrate your development strategies into the “Belt and Road Initiatives”, establish trilateral collaboration in Africa and South-East Asia, etc, and eventually contribute to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of 2030.
DDG HAO Weiping, on behalf of CAAS, DG ZHOU Xueping, on behalf of IPP, and Ulli Kuhlmann, on behalf of CABI, expressed their support on the development of Joint Lab. Both sides will seek for support and funding to further deepen the cooperation between China and CABI, and better serve the development of China’s agriculture industry and going global of China’s agriculture and scientific research.
CHEN Julian, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Graduate Students, IPP, and ZHANG Feng, Regional Director, East Asia CABI reported the meeting minutes and follow-up activities of 11th SC meeting. Key issues concerning Joint Lab and European Lab were discussed during the meeting. CHEN Julian and Hariet Hinz were nominated as co-directors, and TIAN Fang and Stefan Toefer were nominated as co-liaison secretaries of the European Lab, representing IPP-CAAS and CABI Switzerland, respectively.
WANG Shuangchao, Project Officer, Department of International Cooperation, MARA, Luca Heeb, Scientist from CABI Switzerland, LI Hongmei, ZHANG Jinping, LIU Zhi and MI Qianqian, CABI East Asia attended the meeting.