China and Russia strengthen ties on sci-tech cooperation at forum in Harbin

The 10th China-Russia Engineering and Technology Forum, also known as the 2023 China-Russia Digital Economy Summit, was held in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Wednesday.

More than 700 academicians, experts, and representatives from relevant institutions and companies from China and Russia attended the forum with the theme of "Creating an Open New Frontier and Nurturing New Quality Productivity."

He Junke, the secretary of the Party Group and vice-chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), said that the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia in the new era continues to operate at a high level, bringing more opportunities and development space for scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries.

He said that as the main channel for non-governmental scientific and technological and cultural exchanges in China, CAST will continue to strengthen close contacts with Russian scientific and technological personnel and organizations and promote youth and talent exchanges.

Xu Qin, Party chief of Heilongjiang province, stated that Heilongjiang is an important node in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. It is currently building a new frontier of China's northward opening. With its obvious location advantages and strong research capabilities, it has broad space for cooperation with Russia.

He expressed his willingness to jointly implement the important consensus reached by the heads of state of China and Russia, work together, let technology better support high-quality development, and benefit the people of both countries.

At the forum, the Chinese Society of Engineers and the Russian Association for Engineering Education signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen the capacity building of engineers. Other organizations and enterprises from both countries also signed agreements and contracts, and 11 Chinese and Russian academicians and experts delivered keynote speeches on promoting the development of engineering technology and the digital economy.