International Cooperation

Lu Yongxiang Met Japanese Minister Taro Aso and his Entourage

At the invitation of President Lu Yongxiang, CAS, a Japanese delegation of more than 80 members, headed by the honorary director of the group, Mr. ASO Taro, Japanese Minister for Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications, and KANEKO Tomoyoshi, legal person of enterprise and executive council member of the Japanese International Training Association, arrived in Beijing on January 5.

During their stay in China, besides attending Sino-Japanese Symposium on Information and Communications organized by the Chinese Communication Association in Beijing, they would also attend the Sino-Japanese Symposium for Science &Technology and Economy Exchange jointly sponsored by the Hangzhou Municipal Government, the Sino-Japanese Association of Science & Technology and Economy Exchange and the Japanese International Training Association.
On the same afternoon, Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan of the State Council met with the major members of the delegation in the Xin Jiang Room of the Great Hall of the People. Both sides exchanged their views regarding strengthening of cooperation in Information industry between China and Japan.

Jointly Built by China and Britain Inauguration Ceremony of Lijiang Botanic Garden Held

On January 25, the inauguration ceremony for the Lijiang Botanic Garden, which was jointly established by the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and the Kunming Institute of Botany, CAS was held in Lijiang, Yunnan. In the meantime, this ceremony also marked the prologue to the Year of Science and Technology of Talents sponsored by the British Embassy to China in the Southwest. Officials from the British Embassy, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh, Dr Stephen Blackmore, Member of the Royal Society, Edinburgh and Deputy Director General Li Dezhu and Deputy Director General Yang Yongping of the Kunming Institute of Botany, CAS attended the ceremony. The Garden is located to the South of Yulong (the Jade Dragon) Snow Mountain in Lijiang, Yunnan, about 24 kilometers from downtown Lijiang. Its altitude varies from 2680 to 4300 meters, covering an area of 17,838 hectares. Within five years, this garden will be built into a concentrated ex-situ mountainous plant cultivation area for mountainous plant germ plasma resources nursery, scientific demonstrative area for high mountainous plants, and ecological tourist zone, which will be open to the public. Within 10~15 years, the total number of the plant species will be over 4000.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Addressed President Lu Yongxiang about International Cooperation in Science and Technology

On the evening of Oct. 10, Kofi Annan, the U.N. Secretary General, who paid a visit to China on invitation, met with Lu Yongxiang, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of CAS in the Diaoyutai National Guesthouse, where Annan stayed. At the meeting, Annan was deeply impressed by CAS's achievements in promoting the development of science in China and in promoting international cooperation in science and technology. He said that China's development is full of vigor and vitality and that China's achievements and experience are very helpful to the developing countries, particularly the African countries.

On Dec 25, Secretary-General Annan wrote to President Lu Yongxiang of CAS, in which he highly spoke of the great contributions that Lu Yongxiang and CAS have made to the International cooperation in science and technology. Annan hoped that CAS, the Inter Academy Council (IAC) and the U.N. would work together to promote development by science and technology, and to make it an important sustainable international tendency.