From February 23 to March 1, a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Office of Gansu Provincial Government conducted a working visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and Almaty, Kazakhstan. The visit aimed to further deepen friendly exchanges and cooperation between Gansu Province and Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, establish multi-field cooperation platforms, and promote in-depth collaboration in agriculture, trade, education, technology, and logistics. Recently, a relevant official from the Gansu Provincial Department of Science and Technology who accompanied the delegation answered reporters' questions about the achievements of this visit.

Q:What cooperation intentions were reached with Turkmenistan during this visit?

A:During the meetings with the National Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan and other departments, both sides exchanged views on scientific research cooperation. Gansu Province attaches great importance to international scientific and technological cooperation with Turkmenistan. At the third China-Turkmenistan Science and Innovation Forum, three researchers from Gansu Agricultural University and Lanzhou Jiaotong University, recommended by the Gansu Provincial Department of Science and Technology, delivered special reports, engaged in in-depth exchanges with Turkmen scientists, and reached preliminary intentions for academic exchanges and personnel visits. Based on these initial intentions, the Gansu Provincial Department of Science and Technology hopes to further deepen scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation with Turkmenistan. It will support Gansu's universities, research institutes, and enterprises in actively expanding channels for scientific and technological cooperation with Turkmenistan, jointly applying for Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Plan projects, and promoting the transfer, transformation, and demonstration of Gansu's solar energy civilian technology, bioenergy technology, desertification control technology, and dryland farming technology in Turkmenistan.

Q:What are the new developments in scientific and technological cooperation between Gansu and Kazakhstan?

A:During the meetings with the advisor to the governor of Almaty Oblast, Kazakhstan, and relevant departments, both sides communicated on establishing friendly provincial-state relations and reached preliminary cooperation intentions in education, agriculture, science and technology, investment, trade, and logistics. For a long time, with the strong support of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, Gansu Province and Kazakhstan have carried out cooperation and exchanges in joint research, platform building, exchange visits, and personnel training, achieving fruitful practical results. Relevant universities and research institutes in Gansu have jointly undertaken four national-level projects and two Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Plan projects with their counterparts in Kazakhstan. They have jointly established the China-Kazakhstan "One Health" Joint Laboratory and the China-Kazakhstan Veterinary Natural Medicine Research Center. The "Co-construction Agreement of the China-Kazakhstan Smart Agriculture Center" signed between Lanzhou University and the Kazakh National Agricultural Research University was included in the list of achievements by the heads of state of both countries. Both sides hope to further deepen scientific and technological cooperation in environmental protection, new energy, smart agriculture, cold and arid agriculture, germplasm innovation, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, and biotechnology, and jointly establish international technology transfer professional service institutions.

Q:Besides reaching scientific and technological cooperation with the two countries, what other activities did the delegation undertake?

A:During the visit, the delegation also participated in the China (Gansu)-Kazakhstan (Almaty) Investment Promotion and Economic Trade Exchange Symposium jointly organized by the Gansu Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Atameken Entrepreneurs Association of Kazakhstan in Almaty. They visited the Kazakh National Agricultural Research University and inspected the "China-Kazakhstan Smart Agriculture" project and the "China-Kazakhstan Comprehensive Development and Utilization of Water Resources Joint Laboratory" project, which were jointly constructed by Lanzhou University, Dayu Water-saving Group, and Kazakh partners. The delegation also visited the Confucius Institute at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.