China and Europe strengthen research ties
China has signed a series of collaborative agreements with the Netherlands and France aimed at strengthening ties in several areas of research. On a three-day visit to the Netherlands, Chinese Vice Premier Hui Liangyu met with Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality Gerda Verburg. Together they put their signatures on a joint declaration to step up collaboration in the areas of agricultural research and knowledge exchange, dairy production, animal health, and others. They also signed an agreement to establish a joint agricultural innovation and promotion centre in Beijing. The centre, to be built at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is intended to promote collaborative research and innovation activities. Areas to be explored include food and nutrition, rural development and environmentally-friendly agriculture. Speaking at the signing of the agreements, Mr Hui said closer cooperation ties with the Netherlands were important since it would enable China to learn from one of the world's leading agricultural countries. During its visit, the Chinese Government delegation also signed agreements with Dutch institutes on introducing an early warning system for droughts and cooperation in water management and flood defence research. Meanwhile, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the French National Agronomic Research Institute (INRA) have renewed an agronomic research agreement on mammal-embryo cell biology and specific areas of microbiology. Under the renewed agreement, work will continue at the LABIOCEM, a Sino-French laboratory set up in November 2005 to support joint basic and applied research on mammal-embryo cell biology. In the area of microbiology, research will focus on human intestinal flora and the health problems triggered by radical changes in food behaviour, such as an increase in diabetes, cancers and hypertension. INRA and CAS's microbiology institute will also develop a structure for sustainable collaboration on the study and improvement of filamentous fungus in tropical zones.
Countries
China, France, Netherlands