Scientific collaborations between China and New Zealand have strengthened with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NZ Crown Research Institute Crop & Food Research (C&FR) and Huazhong Agricultural University (HAU), based in Wuhan in central China.

Both research institutions share strong interests in food technologies and agricultural sciences, particularly plant sciences.

The institutions will begin collaborating on potato biotechnologies with a formal research relationship being established between Crop & Food Research scientists Tony Conner and Jeanne Jacobs and Prof Xie Conghua and Prof Liu Jun of HAU.

Of additional interest is the fact that Wuhan and Christchurch are sister cities. Crop & Food Research’s General Manager Research, Prue Williams, said the sister-city relationship created a positive environment for Crop & Food Research and HAU, so that closer ties could be made.

A high-ranking delegation from HAU arrived in Christchurch this week and members have been visiting Lincoln University and Crop & Food Research’s campus at Lincoln, as well as popular South Island tourist locations.

The Memorandum of Understanding was officially signed by Professor Zhang Duanpin, President of Huazhong Agricultural University, and Crop & Food Research Chief Executive Officer, Paul Tocker.

Cooperation between C&FR and HAU may in future include resource sharing, staff exchanges, training and career development, joint research projects, market intelligence and technology development, joint funding applications, and joint contract and sub-contract arrangements.


BACKGROUND

Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province and is the most populated city in Central China (8.6 million people).

On 04 April 2006, the relationship between Christchurch and Wuhan was formalised when Garry Moore visited Wuhan for the third time with a delegation of 18 people and signed the Friendship City Agreement with Mr Li Xiansheng, Mayor of Wuhan.

Within the relationship, priority has been given to science and technology, in view of Christchurch’s reputation for innovation and Wuhan’s prestigious university cluster.