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Deputy Director-General Xu Jie Meets Director-General Kumar Iyer from UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

　　On July 13, 2023, Xu Jie, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology, met with Kumar Iyer, Director-General of Economics, Science, and Technology at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office of the United Kingdom. They engaged in an in-depth exchange of ideas regarding China-UK cooperation on science, technology and innovation.

　　Xu Jie said that China and the UK signed an inter-governmental agreement on scientific and technological cooperation in November 1978. Over the past 40 years, the two countries have laid solid foundation for bilateral cooperation in science, technology and innovation, and produced remarkable and reciprocal results. In February 2023, the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was established. Minister Wang Zhigang sent a congratulatory letter to Ms. Michelle Donelan, the inaugural Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology. In the letter, Wang Zhigang expressed the hope to strengthen and deepen China-UK innovation cooperation. He looked forward to convening the 11th meeting of the China-UK Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation at an appropriate time, continuing to implement the China-UK Joint Strategy for Science Technology Innovation Coorperation, and working on a new flagship challenge program themed on carbon neutrality and clean growth.

　　Kumar Iyer agreed with Chinese side‘s proposal. He said China is the second-largest science and technology partner for the United Kingdom. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office will assist the newly established Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in its international efforts and look forward to collaborating with China on climate change, healthcare, artificial intelligence, and other areas to jointly address global challenges.

　　The meeting was attended by Helen Dewberry, the Science and Technology Counsellor at the British Embassy in China, and Daniel Brooker, Director of the China Office of the UK Research and Innovation.