On May 15, the Opening Ceremony of the Seminar on Modern Breeding and Management of the Vegetable Industry for BRI Partner Countries was held in Yanqing District, Beijing. The seminar is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, the People’s Republic of China (MOFCOM), organized by the Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO), MOFCOM, and co-organized by the Agricultural Information Institute (AII) of CAAS, the Center for International Agricultural Research (CIAR) of CAAS, the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers (IVF) of CAAS, the National Nanfan Research Institute (NNRI) of CAAS, and the CIP-China Center for Asia Pacific (CCCAP).

Ye Yujiang, Vice President of CAAS, attended the ceremony and noted that the seminar reflects the shared commitment and vision of all parties to advancing the global vegetable industry and strengthening agricultural science and technology cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. The seminar features expert-led sessions covering cutting-edge theories, core technologies, and practical approaches in modern vegetable breeding and management, complemented by field visits. These activities are designed to foster deeper exchanges and collaboration between China and BRI partner countries in vegetable breeding and modern agricultural development.

A total of 23 agricultural officials and technical experts from eight countries—Bulgaria, Gabon, Comoros, El Salvador, Hungary, Jordan, Tonga, and Serbia—are participating in the program.

Other distinguished guests attending the opening ceremony included Su Lihua, Deputy District Mayor of Yanqing, Xie Jianmin, Director General of CCCAP, Zhai Lin, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of CAAS, Dai Xin, Deputy Director General of AII, and Cheng Feng, Deputy Director General of IVF.