On March 24, a video conference on China-Uzbekistan Desertification Control Cooperation, co-hosted by Department of International Cooperation and Department of Combating Desertification of National Forestry and Grassland Administrant (NFGA) and the Ministry of Innovation and Development of Uzbekistan, was successfully held. Hu Yuanhui, Deputy Director General of Department of International Cooperation of NFGA, attended and presided over the conference. Experts from the Desertification Research Center of Research Institute of Ecology Conservation and Restoration attended the meeting.

The conference was about the Aral Sea ecological problems. Uzbekistan side proposed the request of water resources and land productivity restoration of Aral Sea through increasing the productivity of agro-ecosystems in the dry saline soils of the Aral Sea, establishing pilot demonstration programs and introducing saline-alkali land treatment innovation technology.

Experts from Research Institute of Ecology Conservation and Restoration introduced the Chinese saline-alkali land treatment technology and application practice and gave the Chinese approach to deal with the ecological management of the Aral Sea. Experts believed ecological management of the Aral Sea should follow the principle of combining conservation, management and utilization. Experts also suggested that comprehensive regionalization of the Aral Sea ecological environment (especially water resources carrying capacity and soil salt content) should be carried out through the cooperative research of researchers from both sides on the basis of investigation and positioning observation and then formulate corresponding short, medium and long-term development plans according to the characteristics of different regions. Uzbekistan side has expressed a warm response and pledged to conduct further cooperation.

The conference has been of great significance to responding to China's "Belt and Road" initiative and promoting scientific and technological collaborative innovation in countries along the "Belt and Road". (Wang Dongfang / Research Institute of Ecology Conservation and Restoration)