On 2 April, 2025, Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) was invited to attend the Seminar on the topic of ASEAN-China Agricultural Machinery Cooperation. The Seminar was host by Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province.

     President Xing Weihong of Jiangsu University held a meeting with SG Shi Zhongjun before the Seminar, during which they exchanged views on fully leveraging advantages of Jiangsu University in agricultural machinery and other related disciplines, to empower the industry to reach out to ASEAN market, and promoting cooperation between ASEAN Countries and China in agricultural industry and research.

     The Seminar was presided over by Ambassador Xu Bu, Chairman of the Institute of Global Development and Security of Jiangsu University. Attending the event were Vice President Cai Yingfeng of Jiangsu University, relevant experts and scholars from the university and other institutions, as well as representatives from agricultural machinery enterprises in Jiangsu Province. Attendees from Jiangsu introduced their current cooperation with ASEAN countries and shared thoughts on the opportunities and challenges for agricultural machinery enterprises to cooperate with  the Southeast Asian countries and their needs for better understanding of local policy and strengthening risk management. They expressed their commitment to seize the opportunities to further cooperation with ASEAN countries in agricultural materials, agronomy, agricultural machinery and agricultural modernization, so as to create new growth impetus for ASEAN-China cooperation, making contributions to the building of ASEAN-China community with a shared future.

     Shi Zhongjun noted that ASEAN-China relations are currently at a high level of development, with fruitful achievements in strategic mutual trust, practical cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. Agriculture, as a foundational industry vital to people’s livelihood, offers strong complementary and great potential for ASEAN-China cooperation. Strengthening agricultural cooperation between the two sides is of significant importance for food security and sustainable development of the region. Shi Zhongjun emphasized that deepening ASEAN-China agricultural cooperation relies on the active participation of research institutes and enterprises. Jiangsu University and relevant agricultural machinery enterprises are expected to fully utilize their respective strengths to further enhance agricultural cooperation with ASEAN countries in areas like academic exchanges, talent cultivation and technical training. Through providing high-quality agricultural machinery equipment and services to ASEAN countries, they can support agricultural modernization in the region, and promote the sharing of agricultural talents, technology and equipment. The ACC stands ready to play its bridging role and help the university and enterprises to make new achievements in agricultural cooperation with ASEAN, thus benefiting regional countries and peoples, and enriching the connotation of the ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

     After the seminar, Shi Zhongjun and other attendees visited the Key Laboratory for Theory and Technology of Intelligent Agricultural Machinery Equipment at Jiangsu University.