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By Lungile Ntimba
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande is in China for the second Ministerial Belt and Road Science and Technology Conference later this week.
His department said the two-day meeting would discuss various technologies.
“The conference presents South Africa with a unique opportunity to enhance cooperation with the People’s Republic China in key technology areas such as artificial intelligence, future energy, transport systems and traditional medicines,” Nzimande said.
“These technology areas are also essential for South Africa’s long-term development.”
On Sunday, he visited the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he was received by the leadership of both institutions and taken on a tour of their facilities.
During the engagements, the minister reaffirmed the department’s commitment to deepening collaboration with China, particularly in the areas of indigenous knowledge systems and space science.
The conference, themed “Together for Innovation, Development for All – Jointly Building a Scientific and Technological Innovation Community for the Belt and Road”, will bring together state-level agencies, scientific academies and innovation enterprises from across the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries.
These include the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
The BRI is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the government of China in 2013 to invest in more than 150 countries and international organisations.
As part of the visit, Nzimande is scheduled to meet China’s Science and Technology Minister Yin Hejun to review the existing STI collaboration and explore new areas of possible cooperation.
The minister will also engage with leading Chinese institutions and companies, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Association for Science and Technology, the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence, the National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy and Huawei.
The South African delegation includes senior executives from entities within the department and the National System of Innovation. There are representatives from the National Research Foundation, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Technology Innovation Agency, the Human Sciences Research Council and the South African National Space Agency.
Also, part of the delegation is the University of the Free State specialist in Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Prof. Motlalepula Matsabisa.
“Through this visit, SA’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation aims to highlight the strategic SA-China relationship in science, technology and innovation, ongoing cooperation in areas aligned with mutual development goals and encourage young scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs from South Africa to participate in global innovation networks, with a strong focus on strengthening South-to-South cooperation and advancing Africa’s science agenda,” Nzimande said.
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