A delegation led by Mrs. Carola Schouten, Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands visited SCAU on 11th April. President Chen Xiaoyang, Vice President Yang Zhou greeted the delegation in the conference room on the seventh floor, Administration Building.

    President Chen warmly welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of SCAU. He pointed out that China and Netherlands enjoy broad prospects for cooperation especially in the field of agriculture. As one of the oldest agriculture and forestry universities in China, SCAU shares much in common with Netherlands universities. He hopes that both countries can enrich understanding and reach consensus on an all-round, multi-dimensional cooperation in areas such as agriculture and life sciences, horticulture, agro food, animal sciences, environmental protection and health through this visit.

    Mrs. Schouten thanked SCAU for the warm hospitality and shared her opinions on issues like the current trend of the world agricultural development, smart agriculture and sustainable healthcare. Meanwhile, she briefed the audience on the application of big data and other modern technology to product quality control, industry transparency and protection of consumer interests. She also encouraged the cooperation between Wageningen University and SCAU. 

    Vice President Yang Zhou briefly introduced SCAU to the delegation during the meeting. Professor Mol, Rector Magnificus and Vice President, Executive Board, Wageningen University also delivered a short speech. The two sides reviewed the development of cooperation between the two universities over the past years and exchanged views on strengthening bilateral agricultural cooperation.

    After the meeting, the delegation visited the School of Engineering. Mrs. Schouten expressed interest in some research outputs of modern agricultural machinery presented by the postgraduates of the School and some experts. She spoke highly of the agricultural machinery research at SCAU and encouraged the students and experts to visit the Netherlands for academic exchange or research collaborations in the future.

    The delegation is joined by Mr. Aldrik Gierveld, Deputy Director General Directorate General for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality;Mr. Jonathan van der Geer, Political assistant Minister Schouten, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality; Mr. Martin Olde Monnikhof, Agricultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Beijing;Mr. Henk Stigter, Agricultural Counsellor for Veterinary & Phytosanitary Affairs of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Beijing; Mrs. Laurie Dul, Senior Policy Officer, International Agribusiness; Mr. Loek Hermans, Chairman Topsector Horticulture & Starting Materials; Mr. Authur Mol, Rector Magnificus and Vice President, Executive Board, Wageningen University and Mr. Ackles Zhu, Commercial Officer, Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Guangzhou.

    Su Xiongwu, Director of the President’s Office, Yan Huichao, Director of the Science and Technology Office, Feng Lixin, Director of the International Office, Yuan Juhua, Deputy Director of the International Office, Xie Shaofeng, Party Secretary of the School of Engineering, and Professor Gu Song from the School of Engineering attended the above activities.