On September 15, FFRC held the "Belt and Road" Seminar on the green and sustainable development of aquaculture.

At the opening ceremony, Director Xu Pao said that this year, the COVID-19 has brought huge challenges to the sustainable development of aquaculture industry in the “Belt and Road” countries, international exchanges and cooperation were also facing many difficulties. This seminar would focus on sharing the new directions, new models and new technologies of the green development of aquaculture in China in the new era, and jointly discussing new ideas for the sustainable development of aquaculture industry in the post-epidemic era, and the analysis of future cooperation potential.

Subsequently, experts such as Xu Pao, Zhu Jian, Dong Zaijie, Liu Kai and other experts respectively shared their views on green aquaculture model innovation, technological innovation and aquaculture, green seed industry development and aquatic resource protection in the new era. They also exchanged with representatives of various countries about their concerns. At the same time, experts from Thailand and Cambodia were invited to introduce the development and application of intelligent control systems in Thailand's factory recirculating aquaculture model, and the development and innovation of aquaculture rescue facilities for small-scale fishermen in Cambodia under the epidemic conditions. In response to technical bottlenecks that needed to be resolved urgently in technological innovation, experts from FFRC put forward corresponding technical guidance and suggestions.                                                                                   

      Before the end of the seminar, Jing Xiaojun, chief of the Dept. of International Cooperation and Education, FFRC, gave a summary on the seminar and expressed his hope that this online seminar would be a new starting point to jointly explore the potential of international cooperation on multilateral and bilateral aquaculture in the “Belt and Road” countries, and to work together for the sustainable development of aquaculture in the post-epidemic era.

Representatives from Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Egypt, Algeria, Ethiopia, Gambia, Botswana, Eritrea, Ghana, Liberia, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and other “Belt and Road” countries, as well as relevant experts, young scientific and technical personnel and graduate students from FFRC, participated in the seminar. The total number of online participants exceeded 150.