Officials from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and New Zealand Ministry of

Research, Science and Technology met on April 17, 2008, to enhance the marketing

aspects of S&T findings. LIU Yanhua, Chinese Vice-Minister of Science and Technology, and

Pete Hodgson, the visiting Minister for Research, Science and Technology, made their key

note speeches at the opening meeting. LIU introduced China's proprietary innovation

strategies, and discussed both opportunities and challenges that two nations have shared

in the development of science and technology. He said S&T cooperation between the two

countries shall be more on mechanism innovations, allowing the marketplace to play a role.

He added that industry shall be encouraged to become a key player of S&T cooperation

between the two countries, rendering their due contributions to the economic, social, and

S&T development. Pete Hodgson said: "it is New Zealand's strong commitment to build a

scientific partnership with China, after the signing last week of a historic free trade

agreement". He believed that both China and New Zealand share a broad perspective for

cooperation in the fields of sustainable agriculture, climate change, polar study, and

functional foods, and the collaboration is important to the sustained economic growth and

development of both countries.

At the meeting, some 200 government officials, researchers, and entrepreneurs from

China and New Zealand discussed a string of collaborating issues on energy, environment,

food, health, biotechnology, and agriculture.