（Photo by Liu Daming/MOSTIC）

On November 2, Zhang Jianguo, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, met in Beijing with a delegation headed by Ms. Flavia Schlegel, Assistant Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Vice Minister Zhang Jianguo briefed the UNESCO delegation on the latest development of STI in China, reviewed the cooperation between China and UNESCO in the field of STI, and spoke highly of the active progress made in the cooperation between the two sides. He said that the two sides should carry forward the philosophy of the talks between President Xi Jinping and UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation (2017-2020) signed by the Chinese government and UNESCO during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Vice Minister Zhang Jianguo hoped that the two sides could continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of international mega-science projects, establishment of Category 2 centers and secondment of international staff. He said that China is willing to share its development experience with the international community.
Assistant Director General Flavia Schlegel thanked the Ministry of Science and Technology for its long-standing support for UNESCO and briefed the Chinese host on UNESCO’s priority areas of STI development, especially the main content of the Road of Excellence Project under the Belt and Road framework. She suggested that the two sides should fully leverage UNESCO‘s Category 2 centers and chairs in countries along the Belt and Road, jointly organize workshops on STI policies and capacity building, improve the STI capability of countries along the Belt and Road, especially relevant African countries, and implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Ye Dongbai, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Ms. Marielza Oliveira, Director of UNESCO’s Representative Office in China, were present at the meeting.