Open Day of the 19th China-ASEAN Expo. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By TANG Zhexiao

Partnering with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China has unveiled a sci-tech innovation enhancement project, aiming to boost closer scientific and technological cooperation with ASEAN members.

Wang Zhigang, China's minister of science and technology, said at the opening ceremony of the 10th Forum on China-ASEAN Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation that, "China has always viewed ASEAN as a preferred partner in international cooperation in sci-tech innovation."

As a transfer cooperation mechanism presented to ASEAN, the China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Alliance was established during the forum.

Themed as "Explore Sci-Tech Cooperation for a Shared Better Home," the forum organized a series of events, including the 19th China-ASEAN Expo Advanced Technology Exhibition, the China-ASEAN Digital Technology Promotion and Matchmaking Conference, and the Belt and Road Technology Transfer Synergy Promotion Conference.

Inaugurated in 2013, the forum has become an important platform for displaying achievements in innovation and cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, with more than 3,000 projects promoted and 79 cooperation documents inked. 

In recent years, China's Ministry of Science and Technology has further boosted the two sides' sci-tech partnership, helping China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Center to grow into a window for China and ASEAN countries to carry out technology transfers and innovation cooperation.

Wang mentioned the Talented Young Scientist Program conducted by the ministry, which has supported 145 researchers from ASEAN countries to participate in yearlong scientific research in China.

More than ten joint R&D platforms including the China-Indonesia Joint Laboratory of Biotechnology and the Laos-China Joint Laboratory for Renewable Energy Utilization and Development, have been launched, with a technology transfer collaboration network covering 10 ASEAN countries established.

In 2021, the two sides jointly released the China-ASEAN Action Plan for Building Closer Science, Technology and Innovation Partnership for the Future (2021-2025), injecting impetus into China-ASEAN sci-tech cooperation through high-level mechanisms.

As 2022 marks the first year of the establishment of the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi said that he "looks forward to advancing our vision for innovative and sustainable growth, notably in the areas of trade, digital technology, public health and sustainable development."