Minister Wang Zhigang met with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and his delegation on September 17, 2018.  

Minister Wang Zhigang welcomed Governor Snyder and briefed him on the policies, plans and development of science, technology and innovation (STI) in China since the 19th National Congress of CPC, with focus on the functions of the newly established Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) for basic science, applied research, technology industrialization and talent attraction. He put forward ideas and suggestions for future cooperation between MOST and Michigan. Minister Wang said that China attaches great importance to promoting sound and high-quality economic and social development through STI. He also stressed that China‘s development is open and that science and technology have been in the forefront of China’s reform and opening-up. Minister Wang expressed willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the U.S. federal government and state governments like Michigan, embrace the idea of mutual benefit, and promote pragmatic cooperation by giving full play to each other’s strengths.

Governor Snyder echoed Minister Wang Zhigang‘s views, and briefed the Chinese host on the development of modern manufacturing and key directions of automotive technology development, practices of business-academia partnership and support for innovation and entrepreneurship in Michigan. He said that Michigan attaches great importance to the development of science and technology and shares the same ideas with MOST on cooperation. He hopes that the two sides could work together to promote close and pragmatic cooperation.

After the meeting, Minister Wang Zhigang and Governor Rick Snyder signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the State of Michigan of the United States on automotive technology and industry cooperation.

Present at the meeting was Ye Dongbai, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation and Qin Yong, Director General of the Department of High and New Technology of MOST, and Brian Connors, Director of Michigan-China Innovation Center.