China sets up new institutes for SSC in agriculture

The China Belt and Road Institute for Agricultural Cooperation (BRIAC) and the China Institute for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture (CISSCA) were officially set up at the China Agricultural University (CAU) onDecember4 in Beijing. They aim to becomeplatforms for South-South Cooperation (SSC) in agriculture, promoting mutual economic benefits and win-win development.

Mizengo Peter Pinda,former Tanzanian Prime Minister, willserve as the first Chairman for the International Advisory Board of the two institutes. Commending the creation of BRIAC and CISSCA, he said the new institutes will become a bridge of friendship that leads to further win-win results for SSC.

Sun Qixin, president of CAU stated that the creation of the two new institutes was a concrete action responding to China’s Belt and Road Initiative which aimed at building a communityof a shared future in the spirit of wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

Jorge Chediek, theDirector for United Nations Office for SSC and Envoy of Secretary-General for SSC, also expressed expectations on cooperation with the new institutes.

JiangPeimin, Chairman of CAU and Zhao Zhong, Executive Vice Chairman of Northwest A&F University (NWAFU) jointly unveiled the new institutes.

China’s agriculture is highly interrelated with the world agriculture. Therefore, cooperation among countries is very critical for a new global agricultural landscape to take shape which enables effective and efficient mobility of agricultural factors, distribution of agricultural resources and integration of agri-markets.

First in its kind,BRIAC, initiated by CAU, isan independent institute specialized in agricultural cooperation and is designed to be both a thinker and a doer in this field.

CISSCA, jointly initiated by CAU and NWAFU, and supported by various universities and ministries in China, is committed to advancing SSC for a global community of a shared future.

BRIACand CISSCA aim to facilitate rural and agricultural experience sharing, talents cultivation among countries along the Belt and Road and among the vast developing world. They also dedicate to foster inclusive cooperation centered on agricultural policy and technical innovations, meanwhile, strive to become leading think tanks in Belt and Road and SSC in agriculture.