Organized by Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) and the Education Department of the Shaanxi Provincial Government, the opening ceremony of the 2021 Silk Road International Conference on the Cooperation and Integration of Industry, Education, Research and Application was held on October 28.

The conference, themed on "Promote Cooperative Innovation, Seek Common Development", was sponsored by the National Center for Schooling Development Program and guided by the Ministry of Education and the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government.

Wang Shuguo, president of Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU), delivers a speech at the conference.

XJTU President Wang Shuguo and Wang Jianli, Secretary of the Education Working Committee of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, chaired the conference.

In his speech, Wang said that XJTU attaches great importance to the cooperation and integration of industry, education, research and application. 

The university is building a science and technology innovation harbor called "iHarbour" to be positioned at the forefront of scientific development, and is aiming to create a special interdisciplinary and technological innovation zone with international standards.

Tian Xuejun, vice-minister of the Ministry of Education, gives a speech via video link.

Tian Xuejun, vice-minister of the Ministry of Education, emphasized China's determination to promote the coordination, integration and innovation of industry, education, research and application and its hopes to build a community with a synergistic shared future for mankind.

Fang Guanghua, vice-governor of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government, delivers a speech.

Fang Guanghua, vice-governor of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government, said that the conference has brought new opportunities for foreign exchanges and opening up in education in Northwest China.

He hoped that all parties participating in the conference can focus on key areas and major issues to establish a joint construction and sharing mechanism, promote deeper cooperation, stimulate innovation and creativity, and work together to deepen cooperation and integration of industry, education, research and application along the Silk Road.

Fang said that Shaanxi will accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological innovation achievements to provide a strong impetus for the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

At the conference, representatives of the education departments of Shaanxi province, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Gansu province, Qinghai province, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps launched the "Belt and Road" education cooperation and exchange coordinated development mechanism in Northwest China. XJTU also signed 19 representative cooperation projects at the event.

The conference has set up five sub-forums on energy and chemical industry, aerospace, new materials, plateau ecological protection, high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, and traditional cultural protection and utilization.

Chinese and foreign experts, scholars and business representatives exchanged opinions on topics such as core technology research, the improvement of technology transformation and application efficiency, and training of international scientific and technological talents.

More than 1,000 academicians, experts, and entrepreneurs from countries including China, Russia, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Serbia and Italy participated in the conference online and offline.