Action Plan of the Belt and Road & South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League

(June 22, 2018)

In line with the major commitments in the Constitution of the Belt and Road & South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League, the five-year action plan of the Belt and Road & South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League is hereby provided so as to facilitate complementary advantages of the domestic and overseas member institutions and advance the close cooperation among the members in the areas such as talent cultivation, cultural communication, scientific research, technology extension, and policy communication in agricultural industry.

1. Promote talent cultivation and increase personnel exchanges

1.1 Increase the number of international students among the League member institutions. Supported by the Chinese Government Scholarship-Silk Road Program and in accordance with the principle of “strategy centered, pinpoint implementation, resource integration, joint advancements, advantage exploration, mutual benefits, based on the present and looking towards to future”, the League will provide degree programs in agriculture for the students from the overseas member institutions and cultivate them into advanced talents in agriculture. For this purpose, the League will develop a comprehensive plan on the basis of the domestic League member institutions’ advantageous disciplines and their scholarships for international students and encourage signed student exchange agreements among domestic and overseas member institutions. Therefore, China Agricultural University, in conjunction with the domestic League member institutions, will recruit as planned 500 international students in academic years of 2019 to 2023 from the countries along the Belt and Road, and countries or regions of South-South cooperation.

1.2 Implement the One Belt and One Road teachers training program. Based on the cooperative platform, the League will implement targeted training programs as planned for teachers from countries along the Belt and Road and those from countries or regions of South-South cooperation, promote educational communication and exchanges between the domestic and overseas members, and improve the quality of regional education. Also, the League will encourage presidential visiting among League member institutions and exchanges and communications of the teachers and administrators, as well as facilitate the learning of quality education models in the overseas member institutions. Moreover, the League will greatly strengthen the export of qualified textbooks and complete teaching and learning solutions to the League member institutions; provide the necessary follow-up training for the teachers; and enhance the development of education resources and improve the level of teaching & learning in the overseas member institutions.

1.3 Strengthen the training of agricultural technicians and officials. Using the domestic League member institutions’ training facilities and their advantages in agriculture, and when necessary, the League will provide the targeted and professional training for the agricultural technicians from the overseas member institutions or the agricultural officials in the respective countries, thereby improving the level of agricultural management in the countries along Belt and Road and some countries or regions of South-South cooperation.

1.4 Hold the annual League conference. The League will hold regular conferences of the Belt and Road & South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League and discuss key agricultural issues in the relevant countries or regions, thereby soliciting the opinions and suggestions and exploring ways of addressing the issues.

2. Strengthen research cooperation and enlarge the platform for technical exchange and extension.

The League will establish the overseas bases for agricultural technology extension in the countries along the Belt and Road and some countries or regions of South-South cooperation. The League will make use of the domestic League member institutions’ advantageous disciplines, integrating respective strengths, and taking joint efforts to seek overseas opportunities. In accordance with the requirements for regional agricultural development in the countries along the Belt and Road and some countries or regions of South-South cooperation, the domestic member institutions will cooperate with the corresponding overseas member institutions to establish agricultural science and technology innovation centers, conduct joint research and technical pilot projects, and diligently advance the extension and application of China’s agricultural scientific and technological achievements with advanced and practical technologies in the countries along the Belt and Road and some countries or regions of South-South cooperation.

3. Enhance policy communication and think tank construction

The League will promote the heritage of agricultural tradition and innovation of modern agriculture, attract all potential talents, and build the think tank of the Belt and Road & South-South Cooperation Agricultural Education, Science and Technology Innovation League, with the aim of providing advice and guidance for agricultural construction strategy planning, agricultural industrial layout, economic and social development, international exploration, and poverty alleviation, etc., as well as agricultural policy consultation and intellectual support to government, enterprise, and public.