China EU relations

China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the European Commission have signed a new round of joint research funding agreements to tackle global challenges, such as climate change, and provide scientific and technological solutions to promote carbon neutrality and green and low-carbon development, the Securities Times reported on Tuesday.

Under the agreements, China and the EU will jointly fund collaborative research projects between 2025 and 2027 under two major initiatives on "Food, Agriculture and Biosolutions" and "Climate Change and Biodiversity." 

The initiatives will support cooperation among universities, research institutes and enterprises from both sides to carry out practical research and development projects, according to the report.

China will implement the joint funding mechanism through the country's inter-governmental sci-tech cooperation agreements under its national key R&D program, while the EU will support the mechanism through Horizon Europe program — its key funding program for research and innovation, the Securities Times reported.

The recent example of China-EU intergovernmental agreements is "a positive signal," underscoring continued bilateral collaboration in areas seen as critical to sustainable development and the transition to a greener economy, according to a Chinese expert.

By focusing on carbon neutrality, low-carbon development, agriculture, food systems, and biodiversity, both sides are targeting areas where research can deliver tangible benefits not only for their own economies, but for the global climate agenda as well, Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

In the face of ecological and environmental challenges, Jian called on China and the EU to advance the environmental governance, talent exchanges, trade and investment of both sides, and to deepen cooperation built on mutual respect and common prosperity.

Artificial intelligence, for instance, offers a promising avenue for deeper China-EU cooperation - fostering innovation while bolstering growth across agriculture, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare, Jian said.


Global Times