The Second Belt and Road Forum on Tropical Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation was held in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, on Wednesday and Thursday, aiming to strengthen scientific and technological exchange among tropical countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and build an agricultural "scientific community" and "innovative community" that highlight equal, open, trust and win-win principles.

The two-day meeting attracted more than 300 officials and experts from 31 countries and regions.

Topics discussed included agricultural science and technology cooperation and innovation; protection and innovative utilization of agricultural resources; international tropical agricultural technology transfer; trends and prospects of Chinese traditional medicinal agriculture and sight-seeing agriculture and the development of rural human resources.

Professor Kong Lingxue from Deakin University of Australia delivers a report on Nanomaterials and Technology--the Future of Tropical Crop Development at the forum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Participants also witnessed the unveiling ceremony for the CIAT-CATAS Asia Pacific Tropical Agriculture Joint Laboratory, the cooperation agreement signing ceremony between CATAS and Maejo University of Thailand, and the awards ceremony for the Second Belt and Road Tropical Agricultural Resources Conservation and Utilization Achievements Exhibition.

The forum was sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Foreign Economic Cooperation Center under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hainan Province.

Organizers and co-organizers included the Chinese Society for Tropical Crops, the National Tropical Agricultural Science and Technology Collaboration, Chinese Tropical Agricultural Foreign Cooperation and Development Alliance, Research Center for China Tropical Agriculture Going Global, CATAS and the Hainan Tropical International Agricultural Technology Transfer Center, the National Tropical Plants Germplasm Resource Center, International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Bioversity International, and International Society for Tropical Root Crops-Africa Branch.

The opening ceremony of the Second Belt and Road Forum on Tropical Agricultural Science and Technology Cooperation. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]