Sci-tech collaboration empowers China-Arab BRI cooperation

CHONGQING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Abdel Nasser B.Singab, chairman of the Center for Drug Discovery Research of Egypt's Ain Shams University, has brought experimental specimens to China for joint research and development with his Chinese partners.

Ain Shams University and China's Southwest University have jointly carried out research and development of both medicinal and edible plants, and relevant results will be released in the near future, Abdel Nasser B.Singab said.

Ain Shams University looks forward to international exchanges and cooperation in the field of science and technology with Chinese universities and research institutions to complement each other's advantages and benefit people of all countries with scientific and technological innovation, Abdel Nasser B.Singab told Xinhua at the first Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange.

The conference, which just concluded in Chongqing, attracted experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs from more than 80 countries and international organizations to discuss new opportunities and prospects of scientific and technological innovation cooperation between China and Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partners.

The cooperation and exchanges between China and Arab countries in science and technology have been expanded in recent years, which has brought pragmatic achievements in agricultural technology, space satellites, technology transfer, and other fields.

Rania Mohamed Awad Mohamed, from Sudan, studies tea genetics and evolution at Southwest University.

"Studying in China has provided me access to state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge research, and collaboration opportunities with leading experts in my field. This experience has enhanced my academic and professional growth significantly," she said.

She hopes to bring what she has learned in China back to Sudan to train more professional researchers and promote scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

The cooperation between China and Arab countries on China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has also achieved rich results.

BDS has been applied by Arab countries in surveying and mapping, transportation, energy, agriculture, and other fields, providing guarantees for their economic development and scientific and technological progress, said Lin Luzhou, vice president of the GNSS and LBS Association of China.

The BDS products and solutions have received wide praise in Arab countries, Lin added.

China has also signed numerous cooperation documents in the space-satellite field with Algeria, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.

China and Arab countries have made breakthroughs in 5G communications, nuclear energy, and space satellites through in-depth cooperation in recent years, said Liu Xinlu, dean of the School of Arabic Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

China's increasing scientific and technological capabilities and its concept of openness and cooperation will help China and Arab countries further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in science and technology under the BRI framework, Liu said.