（Photo by Li Xiaodong/MOSTIC）

On June 25, 2018, Minister Wang Zhigang met with the delegation led by French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation Frédérique Vidal who was accompanying French Prime Minister on his visit to China. The two sides exchanged in-depth views on jointly promoting China-France STI cooperation and supporting the implementation of the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries.

Minister Wang Zhigang welcomed Minister Frédérique Vidal and said that the meeting was held to implement the important consensus on science and technology reached by the heads of state of China and France in January. Minister Wang Zhigang pointed out that France is one of the most important partners of China in STI cooperation and that the two sides have established a strong partnership and stable cooperation mechanisms and achieved a series of results. Minister Wang Zhigang briefed the French delegation on the missions of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the latest deployments for building an innovative nation in the new era and accelerating implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, and China’s considerations regarding its involvement in international STI cooperation and made four specific suggestions on China-France STI cooperation. Minister Wang Zhigang said that the Ministry of Science and Technology stands ready to work with France to advance pragmatic China-France STI cooperation for bilateral diplomatic ties, support the two countries’ economic and social development, contribute more to global economic growth, and yield more cooperation results for the benefit of the two peoples.

Minister Frédérique Vidal responded to the views and suggestions of Minister Wang Zhigang. She extended congratulations on China’s great STI achievements in recent years. She also introduced the functions of the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation and expressed the commitment to carrying out cooperation with China in various ways including personnel exchange, joint research, translation of research findings, and entrepreneurship and innovation in areas of common interests such as environment and ecological transformation, health and aging, and agriculture, and matching the development strategies of the two countries.

The two sides agreed to convene a meeting of China-France Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation before the end of this year to implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries and determine the top-level design of bilateral STI cooperation.