On March 10th, Mr. Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Assistant Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and Regional Representative for Africa, visited the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute (LVRI). Both parties conducted in-depth exchanges and reached multiple consensus on topics including enhancing Africa's capacity to prevent and control major animal diseases such as Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), promoting the translation and application of China's advanced vaccines and technological achievements in Africa, and deepening cooperation under the "South-South Cooperation" framework.

Ms. Zhai Lin, Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), attended the meeting and delivered a speech. She stated that "Global Engagement" with agricultural technologies is a crucial direction for CAAS's international cooperation. She hoped to further strengthen cooperation with FAO, particularly in deepening technical alignment and achievement translation in the field of animal disease control, contributing to the sustainable development of African agriculture. During the meeting, discussions focused on the current status of FMD and other major animal disease prevention and control in Africa, China's technological advantages, and cooperation mechanisms. In the concluding remarks, Dr. Zheng Haixue, Director of LVRI, emphasized that China possesses advantages in the development and application of FMD control products. He expressed LVRI's willingness to leverage this visit as an opportunity to promote the technology transfer and implementation of relevant technologies and products in Africa, thereby assisting in enhancing Africa's animal disease control capabilities. Dr. Abebe Haile-Gabriel highly commended LVRI's scientific research strength and technological achievements in the field of animal disease control. He noted that the situation of animal disease control in Africa remains severe and looked forward to introducing China's advanced vaccines and technologies to Africa through mechanisms like "South-South Cooperation" benefiting African farmers and herders and promoting the sustainable development of regional livestock industries.

During the visit, Dr. Abebe Haile-Gabriel and his delegation also toured the State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, and production workshops of China Agricultural Vet Biological Science and Technology Co., Ltd.. They conducted on-site investigations into the R&D and production processes of FMD vaccines and gained deeper insights into the practical application of relevant technological achievements.

This visit has laid foundation for deepening Sino-African cooperation in animal disease control and provided a new opportunity for promoting CAAS's agricultural technology "Global Engagement" strategy. Both parties expressed their commitment to strengthening communication and collaboration, facilitating the early implementation and tangible results of cooperation projects, and jointly contributing positively to global animal disease control and food security.

The delegation was accompanied during the visit and meeting by Ms. Zhang Shuang, Director of the Exchange Service Division, Department of International Cooperation, CAAS; Dr. Liu Zhijie, Deputy Director of LVRI; Dr. Liu Guangliang, Director of the Science and Technology Management Department, LVRI; Dr. He Jijun, Director of the Veterinary Clinical Service Center, LVRI; and Mr. Yang Jincai, General Manager of China Agricultural Vet Biological Science and Technology Co., Ltd.