The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (YAAS) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote agricultural cooperation between Pakistan and China.
The MoU was signed by the Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque, and the President of YAAS, Dr. Jihua Wang, at an online ceremony held in Beijing and Kunming.
Ambassador Moin ul Haque spoke about the importance of agricultural cooperation between the governments of Pakistan and China. He emphasized the potential for both countries to learn from and benefit each other in this field.
Dr. Wang also said that the global environment was “being enhanced” because of technology, contending that what he described as a win-win-win trend is pushing up tourism industry standards.
Southeast Asian and Chinese government officials will come together to discuss ways to improve cooperation in the tourism industry, including investment promotion plans and business models that are friendlier to the environment.
An academic forum will also be held to discuss new ideas around global cooperation on travel.
The Joint Working Group on Agriculture under CPEC is working on a Joint Action Plan, and the recently launched China-Pakistan Green Corridor will further streamline cooperation in areas such as food security, new seed development, crop yield, corporate farming, irrigation, etc.
Ambassador Moin ul Haque expressed confidence that the partnership between PARC and YAAS would contribute to strengthening China-Pakistan agriculture cooperation.
Dr. Jihua Wang welcomed the signing of the MoU extending YAAS’s old association with PARC. He noted a wider range of research and development carried out by Yunnan Academy in the field of agriculture, specializing in plant protection and pest control. He expressed happiness at the prospect of sharing their experiences and expertise with Pakistan.
Under the MoU, a Plant Protection Innovation Joint Sub-Laboratory will be set up in PARC with the support of YAAS. Both sides will work to strengthen cooperation in cross-border agricultural pest research, talent cultivation, and scientific and technological training.
It is to be noted that the agreement is an extension of a 2014 cooperation between PARC and PARC.
