On June 27, Prof. Huang Sanwen, President of CAAS, met with Prof. Lise Korsten, President of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), during her visit to China. The two sides exchanged views on the development of the China Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA). Prof. Wang Ren, former Vice President of CAAS also attended the meeting.

Prof. Huang extended a warm welcome to Dr. Korsten’s return visit. He emphasized that the establishment of CAASTIA is a concrete step toward implementing the consensus reached by Chinese and African top leaders, and represents an important measure to deepen China–Africa science and technology cooperation. He noted that CAASTIA, since its launch in November 2024, has made steady progress in building its Secretariats, recruiting members, and developing publicity platforms. He called for coordinated planning of resources, identification of key flagship projects, and solid preparations for the inaugural General Assembly, with the goal of building a high-standard, high-impact platform that delivers long-term benefits for all parties involved.

Prof. Korsten expressed her full support for the proposals made by President Huang. She remarked that Africa could learn greatly from China’s experience in ensuring food security and biosafety, and that AAS is committed to working closely with CAAS to promote the sustainable development and operation of CAASTIA. She noted that CAASTIA has the potential to become a flagship platform for South–South cooperation.

Officials from the Department of International Cooperation of CAAS attended the meeting.