Xinhua News Agency, Chengdu, June 12th Title: Working together to build a scientific and technological innovation community of "Belt and Road" - Observation of the Second "Belt and Road" Science and Technology Exchange Conference

Xinhua News Agency reporters Li Like, Yuan Qiuyue, Wen Jinghua

In front of the aerial imaging equipment, students clicked on the virtual interface from a distance and lamented that "science fiction is reflected in reality"; deep in the exhibition hall, an autonomous car is ready to go, outlining the future traffic picture; at the forum, Chinese and foreign guests exchanged in-depth exchanges on topics such as artificial intelligence, traditional Chinese medicine, and scientific and technological poverty reduction... From June 10 to 12, the second "Belt and Road" Science and Technology Exchange Conference was held in Chengdu, Sichuan, and science and technology became the bridge connecting the world.

The theme of this conference is "Building the Road to Innovation, Promoting Cooperation and Development - Working together to build a 'Belt and Road' Science and Technology Innovation Community". It has set up 38 activities in five major sections, including important activities, theme activities, special activities, roundtables and technology docking. About 1,500 scientific and technological personnel, corporate leaders, government officials and representatives from international organizations from home and abroad participated in the grand event, discussed development and promoted cooperation.

The "road to innovation" has produced fruitful results

From the official release of the National Innovation Index Report 2024 (English version), to the launch of the International Meridian Circle Science Plan, from the launch of the special cooperation plan for artificial intelligence and traditional Chinese medicine science and technology innovation in the "Belt and Road" to the launch of a new batch of joint laboratories, science and technology cooperation alliances, and international technology transfer centers, 8 important achievements on the conference were released, demonstrating the vigorous vitality of scientific and technological innovation cooperation in the "Belt and Road".

"Space weather is a global phenomenon, and responding to space weather disasters is a common challenge facing all mankind." said Academician Wang Chi, director of the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. As another international scientific plan initiated by China, the International Meridian Circle Science Plan has attracted 36 international organizations and foreign research institutions to sign cooperation agreements with my country or determine the cooperation intention - the meridian Circle 120 degrees east longitude - 60 degrees west longitude will form a "closed" foundation "monitoring circle", achieving three-dimensional observations of the full latitude, all weather, and sun never set in the sun.

At present, scientific and technological cooperation has become an important area for enhancing economic exchanges and promoting people-to-people communication between countries and regions jointly built by the Belt and Road Initiative. During this conference, more than 400 scientific and technological achievements were displayed in the exhibition covering multiple fields such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, modern agriculture, equipment manufacturing, etc.

Turing Naoyu Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. from Singapore has brought the latest developed artificial intelligence brain-computer interface equipment. "We have carried out technical cooperation in the UAE, Malaysia and other countries. The Belt and Road Initiative has opened the door to scientific and technological innovation cooperation, and we believe that enterprises can achieve win-win results on a broader stage." said Zhang Liang, the founder of the company.

CATL demonstrates the innovative practices of Chinese technology companies in green transformation. Chairman Zeng Yuqun said that CATL's continued investment in the battery field has promoted the realization of 18 million vehicles around the world to achieve new energy, and will cooperate with countries jointly built by the "Belt and Road" in the future in terms of clean energy.

"Bridge of Mutual Learning" connects the vast world

"Let's go fast, and everyone goes far." Cuba's Minister of Science and Technology and Environment Armando Rodriguez Batista quoted this proverb in his speech at the opening ceremony, interpreting the contemporary connotation of global scientific and technological cooperation. He said that this conference provided a valuable platform for developing countries, "We hope to learn from the valuable experience of independent innovation and development among all countries and jointly build a community of scientific and technological innovation."

Zheng Likang, Minister of Science and Technology and Innovation of Malaysia, believes that the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative not only promotes connectivity, but has also evolved into a global platform that drives cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, green technology, quantum computing, etc. Zheng Likang said that Malaysia will continue to deepen cross-border scientific collaboration and talent training to jointly build a future-oriented innovation ecosystem.

Focusing on the issue of scientific and technological poverty reduction, the conference held the "Goals and Practice of Science and Technology Poverty Reduction" forum at the same time to share China's experience and jointly seek innovation paths. "Poverty has no borders, and the partners are good medicine." Myanmar's Minister of Science and Technology Miao Dengjue called for further strengthening the construction of agricultural science and technology sharing mechanisms and promoting the flow of digital agriculture, seed resources and green technologies among developing countries.

At the forum, the Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the five Lancang-Mekong countries launched the "Lancang-Mekong Granary International Science Plan". The six Lancang-Mekong countries in China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam will focus on the common key technologies of food security science and technology, jointly carry out agricultural biotechnology cooperation research, and jointly implement variety technology transfer, transformation and promotion and application.

"Peng of the Heart" writes innovating the future

From the implementation of scientific and technological projects to the exchange and cultivation of innovative talents, from the docking and running-in of systems and mechanisms to the collaborative cooperation of industrial chains, the "Belt and Road" Science and Technology Exchange Conference is becoming an important platform for jointly building countries to seek common development and share opportunities.

During the conference, the ANSO International Technology Enterprise Alliance was officially established. Bai Chunli, former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the ANSO International Science and Technology Enterprise Alliance will integrate the industrialization capabilities of multinational science and technology enterprises and the international cooperation network to accelerate the formation of a full-chain closed loop of "technology research and development - results transformation - people's livelihood application" to empower scientific and technological innovation and the sustainable development of related countries.

"Chinese enterprises are transforming from traditional product trade and joint research and development to export key intermediates, production capacity and production lines, supply chains and standard management industry solutions. This not only improves the efficiency of international cooperation and lowers the threshold for cooperation, but also helps the Belt and Road Initiative to jointly build countries and cultivate localized brands." said Liu Xiaohui, deputy director of the China-SCO Technology Transfer Center.

Deng Hongsen, Director-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, believes that the convening of this meeting is timely and provides an important opportunity for promoting international cooperation to meet common challenges and fully unleashing the potential for innovation to benefit all mankind.

"If you want to see through a thousand miles, you can go to the next level." Barry Marshall, the Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine, quoted Chinese ancient poems to express the ambitions of science and technology dreamers. He is launching a global awards program that encourages scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the frontiers of human health and technology and advocates that “widespread international participation will be a powerful source of power.”