The Handover Ceremony of the International Potato Center (CIP) - China Center for Asia Pacific (CCCAP) Yanqing Premises was held in Beijing on 11 July 2017.
Vice Minister Qu Dongyu attended and addressed the event, he was also joined by Dr. Tang Huajun, President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS).
Vice Minister Qu Dongyu and CIP Director General Barbara Wells, on behalf of the MOA and the CIP respectively, sign the agreement on the handover of equipment of the research facility.
The People's Government of Yanqing District and the CCCAP sign the lease agreement of the research facility.
The People's Government of Yanqing District and the CCCAP sign the MOU on technical cooperation and extension.
Vice Minister Qu stated that today's handover marks a historic moment since the CIP proposed to establish the CCCAP in China in 2004, and this should be attributed to the support by the national leadership and the joint efforts of the MOA, the Beijing Municipal Government, the CAAS and the Yanqing District Government.
Vice Minister Qu stressed that the MOA has vigorously supported the development of CCCAP. China is donating laboratory instruments and equipment valued at RMB 19.5 million to the CCCAP to facilitate its R&D. China hopes to intensify cooperation with the CIP to further contribute to food security and poverty reduction in the Asia Pacific region.
CIP Director General Barbara Wells stated that China and the CIP enjoy a long history of cooperation and the year of 2018 will mark the 40th anniversary of China-CIP cooperation. Over the past four decades, the two sides have conducted various forms of cooperation with remarkable achievements in germplasm exchanges, technical exchanges and personnel training. The CIP hopes to play an ever greater role through the CCCAP in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative and facilitating agricultural cooperation between China and the rest of the world.
Prior to the handover ceremony, Vice Minister Qu held a bilateral meeting with Barbara Wells. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on furthering China-CIP cooperation, leveraging R&D of the CAAS to promote the development of the CCCAP and root and tube crops in China.