（Photo by Liu Daming/MOSTIC）

On September 18, 2018, Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang met in Beijing with a visiting New Zealand delegation led by Megan Woods, Minister of Research, Science and Innovation. 

Minister Wang Zhigang welcomed Minister Megan Woods and her delegation on their visit to the Ministry of Science and Technology, briefed the guests on China’s planning in the field of science, technology and innovation since the 19th CPC National Congress, and reviewed the important achievements in science and technology cooperation over the past 40 years since China’s Reform and Opening-up. Minister Wang Zhigang stressed the importance of opening-up and cooperation for advancing science and technology in the two countries and addressing global challenges. He hoped that the two sides could conscientiously implement the Arrangement on a Five Year Roadmap for New Zealand-China Science and Technology Cooperation 2018-2022, pragmatically promote exchanges among young researchers and cooperation in key fields, strengthen exchanges and discussions concerning policies for science, technology and innovation, and push forward science and technology cooperation conducive to sustainable development and the well-being of people‘s livelihood of the two countries.

Minister Woods expressed her appreciation of the close cooperation between Chinese and New Zealand researchers in the fields of agriculture and food, life sciences and environmental protection. She stressed that the New Zealand government also attaches great importance to science and technology development and cooperation and is willing to further develop cooperative relations with China to create a favorable environment for cooperation between universities, enterprises and research institutes of the two countries and foster more mutually beneficial cooperation results. 

Ye Dongbai, Director General of the Department of the International Cooperation, Xu Jing, Director General of the Department of Innovation and Development and Wu Yuanbin, Director General of the Department of Science and Technology for Social Development of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Clare Fearnley, Ambassador of New Zealand to China, and Paul Stocks, Deputy Chief Executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment of New Zealand, were present at the meeting.