During 30-31 Oct, the International Conference on China-CEECs Forestry Research and Education Cooperation was convened in Beijing. Mr. Liu Dongsheng, Vice Minister of China State Forestry Administration, Janez Zafran, Head of Forestry Division, Slovenia Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, and Director of the Executive Coordinating Body for China-CEEC forestry cooperation, and Andrzej Konieczny, Vice Minister of Poland Ministry of the Environment attended and addressed the opening ceremony. Mr. Wu Zhimin, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, State Forestry Administration hosted the ceremony.

The Conference, hosted by CAF, and supported by SFA, aims at strengthening exchanges and cooperation in forestry research and education between China and 16 central and eastern European countries.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Liu Dongsheng said that China and CEECs have great potential in forestry cooperation. In May 2016, the Mechanism for coordinating cooperation between China and CEECs in the field of forestry was launched, adopting the China-CEECs forestry coordinating cooperation action plan. This Conference is an important measure to implement the action plan, and concrete action to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in forestry research and education between China and CEECs. He expected that discussions at the Conference could further identify directions and modes of cooperation, serving national development strategies for win-win results. SFA is willing to work with CEECs to further stabilize and expand bilateral cooperation channels, support China-CEECs forestry coordinating cooperation mechanism, and incorporate the modern ideal of co-existence between man and nature, so as to contribute to the 16+1 cooperation.

To deepen cooperation on forestry research and education between China and CEECs, Mr. Liu Dongsheng emphasized on strengthening research cooperation for shared benefits. He encouraged academic discussions, international research cooperation programs and information sharing platforms among discipline leaders. Personnel exchanges should be promoted, professional talents cultivated, result translation and application-oriented talents nurturing enhanced, and capacity building conducted. Cooperation on forestry education should also be promoted, joint cultivation mechanism explored, and the alliance for forestry universities established, so as to tap the potential of advantageous disciplines, and expand the space for talents cultivation. Cooperation in forest resources exploitation, forest products trade and forestry production capacity should be enhanced among the 17 countries, to bring innovative advantages into full play, and to advance pragmatic cooperation among entrepreneurs from China and CEECs in forest resources exploitation.

Janez Zafran said that the 16+1 action aims at establishing a new cooperation mode featured by opening-up, inclusiveness and win-win results, and advance pragmatic cooperation between China and CEECs in different areas. Slovenia will expand consensus and cooperation through information exchanges, policy dialogue and platform building among all countries.

Andrzej Konieczny said that forest development in Poland ranks among the first in Europe. The cooperation MOU was signed with SFA in 2014. He expected that Poland could cooperate with China in sustainable forest management, forest products trade, addressing climate change and research and education.

During the Conference, Mr. Xiao Wenfa, Vice President of CAF hosted the session on keynote presentations. Mr. Du Jishan, Deputy Director General of Department of Scientific and Technological Development, SFA, Prof. Miha Humar, Dean of Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Mr. Kong Tianping, research fellow of Institute of European Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences made presentations titled Forestry research in China, Forestry research in CEECs, and China-CEECs cooperation respectively. Experts in forestry research and education from China and CEECs exchanged research results and progress on silviculture, forest ecology, environment and protection, forest monitoring and assessment, forest bio-economy, and forestry education and training. Potential areas, channels and patterns of future cooperation were discussed, and consensus was reached. Mr. Lei Xiangdong, research fellow of Research Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniques, CAF, hosted the theme on Silviculture, and made a presentation titled China’s forest management, from numbers to quality. Mr. Wang Xiaoyi, research fellow of Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, CAF, hosted the theme on Forest ecology, environment and protection, and made a presentation titled Research and cooperation potential of China’s forest ecology and protection. Mr. Pang Yong, research fellow of Research Institute of Forest Resource Information Techniques, CAF, hosted the theme on Forest monitoring and assessment, and made a presentation titled Application of remote-sensing techniques in China’s forest resources monitoring and assessment. Mr. Xu Junming, research fellow of Research Institute of Chemical Processing and Utilization Forest Products, CAF, hosted the theme on Forest bio-economy, and made a presentation titled Application of renewable resources, research progress on advanced liquid fuel and value-added carbon materials. Mr. Lin Qun, Director for Graduate Students and senior engineer made a presentation titled Research-oriented education for graduate students in CAF. 

Nearly 180 representatives from government agencies, forest research institutes, universities and enterprises in 17 countries attended the Conference.