CIRAD cooperation in China: a first post-Covid mission

They met a number of officials* from the College of Veterinary Medicine at SCAU, South China Agriculture University, in Guangzhou. The College's activities focus on rabies, antibiotic resistance, African swine fever, other animal diseases and One Health approaches. Their work is also carried out in collaboration with numerous universities in Europe and North America, as well as with the City University of Hong Kong, another CIRAD partner in Asia. The two missionaries were able to tour the laboratories and facilities, talk to students (PhD and postdoctoral students in the field of antibiotic resistance) and visit a modern laying hen farm. CIRAD's activities in Southeast Asia and the PREZODE initiative were presented to the participants, and SCAU's membership of the PREZODE initiative was discussed.

In Beijing, a meeting at the INRAE-Cirad office, also attended by Sarah Liu and trainees Amy Zhao and Muqi Zhao, provided an opportunity to discuss and define future meetings and assignments:

• Meetings planned during CIRAD days in Montpellier at the beginning of July (INRAE-Cirad/China bibliometrics, communication, etc.);
• Meeting to be organized in the field of rubber cultivation, collaboration in this field desired by CATAS, with researchers from the AGAP Unit (Julie Leclerq, Pascal Montoro, Jean-François Dufayard, Co-animator of BISSAPP - Integrative Biology of Abiotic Stress in Perennial Plants), Bénédicte Favreau, Co-animator of BISSAPP. A joint CATAS-Cirad laboratory has been proposed by CATAS. The format to be studied e.g. LIA-like or integration in a regional platform;
• Participation of the CIRAD CEO or a representative in the 7th GLAST(Global Forum of Leaders for Agriculture Science and Technology) from 25 to 28 October 2023 in Sanya, Hainan. The CEO of INRAE is also invited;
• François Roger plans to visit the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute (WOAH reference laboratory, an institute attached to the CAAS) and Qingdao (CAHEC, China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center) before the end of 2023;
• Mission to Kunming to be scheduled for 2024: YAAS(Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Yunnan Universities, if possible with the ASEA platform coordinator.

Meeting at the French Embassy in Beijing with 15 people** from the SCAC, the Regional Economic Service (SER) and the Social Policy Service. The presentation of CIRAD's activities in Southeast Asia and PREZODE was followed by a discussion of possible approaches and tools for strengthening exchanges and collaboration between CIRAD's regional systems and Chinese institutions: PHC, possible support from the DGAl (Direction Générale de l'Alimentation of the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, MASA). We have been strongly advised to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affaires regarding PREZODE in China.

We also met Dr Hongxia Li from the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center in Wuxi, FFRC, in Beijing on 29 April: collaboration in the field of aquaculture with CIRAD researchers in Southeast Asia is conceivable in the medium term.