Recently, a delegation led by Slađan Stanković, Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Applications of the Republic of Serbia, visited the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ICS-CAAS). Both sides exchanged views on promoting agricultural scientific and technological cooperation. Rui Li, the Second Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in the Republic of Serbia, and Yanning Zhai, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IVF-CAAS), attended the meeting, which was hosted by Wensheng Wang, the Deputy Director General of ICS-CAAS.

After attentively listened to Secretary Rui Li's introduction of the purpose of the Serbian delegation's visit, the background of the cooperation between the two sides, and potential areas for future collaboration, Wensheng Wang stated that friendly exchanges between China and Serbia have been strengthened, with increasing high-level interactions and cooperation in various fields. He emphasized that there is great potential for cooperation in agricultural science and technology. Wang hoped that both sides would strengthen cooperation in the following areas including the utilization of germplasm resources, breeding technology research and development, and the training of international students. He also encouraged the exchange of agricultural technologies and actives in the grand blueprint for high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative.

Director Stanković introduced the basic situation of the Serbian side, listened to the reports on technological innovation and international cooperation of ICS-CAAS and IVF-CAAS, and expressed high appreciation for the achievements of both institutes in supporting the high-quality development of Chinese agriculture through agricultural innovation. He expressed his willingness to vigorously promote exchanges and cooperation with ICS-CAAS and IVF-CAAS in the field of agricultural science and technology.

After the meeting, Director Stanković and his delegation visited the National Key Facility Platform and the National Crop Genebank, as well as the Experimental Base in Changping District and Science Popularization Base of ICS. Dušan Nikolić, assistant researcher from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Applications of the Republic of Serbia, and relevant responsible comrades from the Scientific Research Management Offices of both ICS and IVF participated in the event.