
The unveiling ceremony of the Wuhan (China-Pakistan) Belt and Road Joint Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]
The 5th Belt and Road Sino-Pakistan Agriculture Forum opened at Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) on Nov 19. The event brought together over 100 scholars from China and Pakistan, featuring a main forum and five parallel sub-forums dedicated to deepening bilateral agricultural cooperation.
HZAU President Yan Jianbing reviewed the productive long-term collaboration, noting the increased high-level exchanges, strong research outcomes, and significant progress in joint talent cultivation over the past eight years. He highlighted the launch of the "Training Program for the Capacity Building of 1,000 Pakistani Agricultural Graduates in China" this year, emphasizing its role in strengthening the talent foundation for future cooperation.
Pakistan's Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi, acknowledged the decades-long partnership in agriculture, citing examples from wheat germplasm exchange to hybrid rice technology. He said agricultural cooperation is a vital link between the two nations under the Belt and Road Initiative. Ambassador Hashmi proposed establishing joint agricultural technology demonstration platforms, expanding scholarship and talent exchange programs, and translating research into tangible benefits for Pakistani enterprises and rural communities.
During the opening ceremony, HZAU formalized new partnerships by signing cooperation agreements with the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council and Government College University Faisalabad.
The event also included the unveiling of the Wuhan (China-Pakistan) Belt and Road Joint Laboratory for Horticultural Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, marking a new chapter in collaborative scientific research.