The 10th Meeting of China-UK Joint Commission on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Cooperation was held via video link on May 12, 2021. The meeting was co-chaired by Huang Wei,vice Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, and Amanda Solloway, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State(Minister for Science,Research and Innovation)of the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
At the meeting, Vice Minister Huang Wei said that China-UK cooperation in science and technology, as an important part of the overall cooperation between the two countries, has developed along the steady track of equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, with fruitful results achieved. Papers co-authored by Chinese and British researchers now make up the second largest proportion of all papers co-authored by Chinese and foreign researchers. Vice Minister Huang Wei hoped that the two sides will forge closer cooperation in science and technology in the post-COVID era and provide scientific and technological support for China to achieve the goal of carbon peak and neutrality announced by President Xi Jinping and for the UK to fulfill the target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and make more contributions to tackling global challenges such as epidemic prevention and control, climate change, human health and food security.
Vice Minister Amanda Solloway spoke highly of UK-China STI cooperation and remarked that the two sides have achieved satisfactory results in a wide range of research cooperation fields. She echoed the notion that the two countries have a common vision in addressing issues like climate change, biodiversity and “One health”, and hoped that the two countries will further strengthen cooperation in science, technology and innovation and accomplish more remarkable achievements in the future.
During the meeting, representatives of the two sides exchanged their respective STI strategies, including China‘s 14th Five-Year Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation and the UK’s Research and Development Roadmap, as well as relevant policies and practices of data management, intellectual property rights and other aspects in the two countries. They summarized and reviewed the achievements and experiences of cooperation under the China-UK Research and Innovation Partnership Fund, discussed China-UK agriculture, health and aging,“One health”and other flagship challenge programs and future cooperation in clean growth and carbon neutrality, and explored other priority areas of cooperation, cooperation mechanisms, talent exchanges and suggestions for future cooperation, reaching consensus on multiple items.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Meteorological Administration, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing Hospital, and Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom, and representatives from the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Intellectual Property Office, UK Research and Innovation, Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, Meteorological Office and British Embassy in China.
