On May 8, 2018, Zhang Jianguo, Vice Minister of Science and Technology and Administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, met with Deron Bilous, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Alberta, Canada and the delegation he headed.

Vice Minister Zhang Jianguo expressed his welcome to Minister Bilous and briefed him on the important plans made at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China for science, technology and innovation, stressing that China will strengthen open cooperation in innovation. Vice Minister Zhang Jianguo spoke highly of the bilateral cooperation in multiple modes, including policy exchanges and experience sharing between think tanks and co-building of joint research centers between institutions. He expressed the hope that the two sides should foster pragmatic cooperation to meet the needs of development through signing a new cooperative agreement.

Minister Deron Bilous highly appreciated the determination of the Chinese government to expand its opening up and said that Alberta also attaches great importance to open and innovative development. He introduced to the Chinese side the measures which Alberta has adopted to promote cooperation in R&D and industrialization in key fields in relation to its own industrial advantages, and hoped that the pragmatic cooperation between the two sides will provide strong support for the sound development of their respective economies. 

Ye Dongbai, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, Zhao Xinli, Deputy Director General of China Science and Technology Exchange Center, and other officials attended the meeting.
（Photo by Liu Daming/MOSTIC）