Delegation from Embassy of Belgium in China Visits XIEG

On May 10, a delegation led by Mr. Bart Vodderie, Minister-Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Belgium in China, visited the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XIEG). The two sides held a meeting to discuss deepening bilateral scientific and technological cooperation.

During the meeting, Prof. ZHANG Daoyuan, Deputy Director of XIEG, warmly welcomed the delegation and gave a comprehensive introduction of the institute. She reviewed the long‑standing cooperationbetween the two sides, which began with the first visit by Prof. Philippe De Maeyer from Ghent University in 2005. “In 2016, His ExcellencyMichel Malherbe, then Ambassador of Belgium in China, visited XIEG and jointly witnessed the inauguration of the Sino-Belgian Joint Laboratory for Geoinformation, co-established by XIEG and Ghent University. Since then, theJoint Laboratory has served as a pivotal platform for Sino-Belgian scientific cooperation, yieldingfruitful collaborative outcomes,” Prof. ZHANG noted.

Subsequently, Prof. Alishir Kurban provided detailed updates on the laboratory's recent progress and collaborative achievements.

Mr. Vodderie commended XIEG’s research capabilities and the fruitful outcomes of the partnership, while acknowledging the Joint Laboratory’s pivotal role as a bridge between the two sides.He stated that the Belgian side looked forward to expanding areas of cooperation and deepening bilateral partnership based on this solid foundation.

Researchers from both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on potential cooperation directions, including geographic information science and ecological observation, as well as academic exchanges.

After the meeting, the delegation visited key scientific research facilities and laboratories at XIEG.

Meeting between the two sides.

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn