The State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, renewed a memorandum of understanding on scientific personnel exchanges, in Beijing, on June 18, with Zhang Jianguo, director general of the administration, and Andrea Lyon, vice-minister of administration for the Canadian organization, doing the signing.

At the ceremony, Zhang explained that scientific personnel exchange and cooperation in agriculture have moved ahead since the MoU was first signed in 2004 and that this third time is the best testament to the cooperation and that his administration will find ways to make it more convenient for Canadian agronomists to work in China in four areas the MoU covers. Zhang added that he hopes Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian embassy in China will continue with broader support for Sino-Canadian scientific and technological personnel exchanges.

Lyon thanked the administration for its increased efforts in agricultural personnel exchanges and cooperation and said that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada values the cooperation and will encourage more Canadian experts to visit China for greater trade, cultural exchanges, and scientific cooperation.

Taking part in the signing ceremony were Sun Zhaohua, the administration’s deputy director, Liu Yuhua, of its general office, Bruce Archibald, director general of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and other officials.