China-South Africa Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Sustainable Exploration and Utilization of Mineral Resources Initiative Approved for Establishment

Recently, to implement the important speech delivered by President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and following the principles of "joint construction and sharing, demand orientation, capacity building, and exemplary guidance," the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, after expert review and evaluation, has approved the establishment of the first 14 Belt and Road Joint Laboratories. The "China-South Africa Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Development and Utilization of Mineral Resources under the Belt and Road Initiative," with Beijing Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (BRIMM) as the Chinese supporting institution, has been approved for establishment.

China-South Africa Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Sustainable Exploration and Utilization of Mineral Resources are an important initiative for implementing the Belt and Road Initiative and serve as an effective support for building the "Innovation Road" under the Belt and Road framework. According to the "Belt and Road Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan" and the "Special Plan for Promoting Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative," the Joint Laboratories are to be built based on the principles of "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits." They aim to efficiently allocate and comprehensively integrate resources for scientific and technological innovation in line with the development needs of China and its Belt and Road partners. Through joint training, academic seminars, short-term training programs, and exchange visits, the laboratories will promote high-level scientific research and the development of key common technologies at the industrial forefront in priority areas of mutual concern. They will also cultivate high-level, internationalized scientific researchers and science and technology management talents, build outstanding research teams, and strengthen the demonstration and promotion of advanced applicable technologies, cooperation models, and management experiences, thereby boosting scientific and technological cooperation along the Belt and Road.

The China-South Africa Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Development and Utilization of Mineral Resources builds upon the foundation of the " China-South Africa Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Sustainable Exploration and Utilization of Mineral Resources," the first intergovernmental joint research center unveiled by the Chinese and South African Ministries of Science and Technology in September 2018. The Joint Laboratory will focus on key common technological challenges in the field of mineral resources, carrying out joint research in areas such as mining, mineral processing, and solid waste resource utilization. It will establish a long-term and stable scientific and technological cooperation relationship in talent training and project collaboration, accelerate international industrial capacity cooperation in the mining sector, and provide talent and technological support for the economic and social development of both China and South Africa, contributing to the solid and deep advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Source: Official WeChat Account of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa

Article link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/lhceUw0dz-xtIfakhnn6XA