The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) will strengthen further cooperation with the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) in agricultural science and technology, according to the news from the meeting between the two sides on October 14 in Beijing. 

Vice President HE Hongping and INRAE Vice President Mr. Jean-François Soussana exchanged views on deepening the strategic docking of agricultural science and technology and jointly funding cooperation projects for young scientists.

Vice President HE Hongping welcomed the visit of INRAE and believed that the visit will strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in the fields of climate change, biodiversity conservation, plant breeding, nutrition and health, and promote the establishment of a regular exchange mechanism. He said that the CAS will continue to strengthen practical cooperation with INRAE by organizing a series of seminars on agricultural science and technology and sustainable development between China and France.

Mr. Jean-François Soussana pointed that CAS is the most important partner of INRAE in China, and the cooperation between the two sides in plant breeding and soil protection has been fruitful. He looked forward to strengthen the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides in the fields of carbon neutrality and smart agriculture. 

After the meeting between the two sides, Mr. Jean-François Soussana participated in the First Sino-French Symposium on Agricultural Science and Technology and Sustainable Development held at the Institute of Botany, CAS. Experts from CAS and INRAE shared research progress and exchanged views on four themes: Agroecological Crop Protection, Plant Phenotyping, plant genetics, and artificial intelligence for Agriculture.