On April 24, "Science and Technology Revitalization Supports Rural Revitalization " - Agriculture Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation and Exchange Matchmaking Meeting was held during the 19th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals. Jiang Danping, Deputy-Director of Department of Rural Science and Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Li Xin, Deputy-Director of Department of Foreign Expert Services, Deng Xiaoming, Director of China Rural Technology Development Center, Xia Bing, Deputy Director of China Association for International Exchange of Personnel, Chen Weirong, Deputy Director-General of Science and Technology Department of Jiangxi Province, Yang Xiaoping, Director-General of Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs of Jiangsu Province, Qiu Xuan, Party member of Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission and Level I Inspector, Fu Gangzhan, President of China Prospect Program Shanghai Promotion Center, Jeon Hee, Agricultural Research Officer of Rural Development Administration National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Petri Mikael Rinne, former Chairman of European LEADER Association for Rural Development and Chairman of Village Action Association of Finland and other guests attended the matchmaking  meeting.

Themed on the " Science and Technology Revitalization Supports Rural Revitalization ", the meeting was held both online and offline simultaneously centering on the subjects of rural planning and smart agriculture, in which specialists, scholars and technology holders from countries like Japan, South Korea, Russia, Italy, Finland, South Africa, and other regionals including Taiwan, China, introduced their areas of expertise and advantageous resources to promote cooperation projects, and made preliminary contact with Chinese participating enterprises and institutions.

In his speech, Deputy-Director Jiang Danping said that as China has entered a new stage of making comprehensive advancement of rural revitalization and speeding up the modernization of agriculture and the countryside, more than ever, committing to a people-centered approach to build rural areas with thriving businesses, pleasant living environments, social etiquette and civility, effective governance, and prosperity needs solutions by science and technology innovation. At present, the Ministry of Science and Technology is making active and concerted efforts to the support the rural revitalization by science and technology innovation during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period. More efforts will be devoted to make better top-down design and map out the overall plan for development direction and key tasks of smart agriculture and digital countryside, village construction and ecological livability; focus will become more centered upon the priorities and joint research and design with relevant departments to put forward the key special projects in the fields of agriculture and countryside during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period; exchange platforms such as the Conference on International Exchange of Professionals and cooperation exchange partnering meeting will be given full play to, and agricultural science and technology parks, agricultural high-tech industry demonstration zones, innovative counties and cities will be an effective means to explore the path of international cooperation in agricultural science and technology, promote the demonstration and promotion of agricultural science and technology innovation and commercialization of results, and deepen exchanges and cooperation with other countries.

In the keynote speech session, Director Deng Xiaoming talked about his thoughts on how to do a good job in supporting the rural revitalization through science and technology innovation. He pointed out that rural revitalization is a long-term and arduous task, and China must rely on science and technology innovation. During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, the significant achievements and experience accumulated in the development of agricultural and rural science and technology lay a solid foundation and provide favorable conditions for innovation-driven rural revitalization. However, there are still shortcomings in China's agricultural science and technology innovation, including scattered innovation elements and weak awareness of open and collaboration, calling for coordinating more forces to boost rural revitalization with science and technology innovation. Innovation-driven development is no longer a solo project of the science and technology sector, but requires more systematic forces from both individuals and market players under the framework of concerted efforts and joint management and well-defined power and responsibility by focusing on the main body to make overall advancement.  In the face of challenges, innovation resources should be gathered and poured to lower tier towns and villages. Equal attention should be paid to both science and technology innovation and the commercialization of results to make an open and collaborative innovation system as a powerful helper to achieve tangible results in agricultural science and technology innovation at the grassroots level. The "14th Five-Year Plan" has inaugurated a new historical process in rural revitalization. Science and technology innovation is the strategic source for boosting rural revitalization and high-quality agricultural and rural development while emphasizing two connections in fostering new driving force for the rural revitalization, furthering the construction of an open and collaborative innovation system, accelerating the internationalization of agricultural science and technology innovation, and guiding all kinds of innovation subjects and innovation resources into the main battlefield of rural revitalization so as to build a new development pattern of agricultural science and technology.

Afterwards, Jeon Hee, Petri Mikael Rinne and Fu Gangzhan, shared their insights into rural planning, smart agriculture and international cooperation cases of rural revitalization. Thirteen guests from Fujimi Education Exchange Center, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Rural Development Administration of South Korea, South Korea-China Association for Cultural and Economic Exchange, Village Action Association of Finland, Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University, Italy Rural Development Network, Gold Yard International Exchange Service of South Africa, National Taiwan University, Cross-Strait New Rural Development and Environmental Protection and Technology Exchange Association, and Asian Alliance of Local Creative Students presented their projects on the themes of rural planning and smart agriculture.

The Meeting was concluded with the presentation from Deputy Director Xia Bing. He said that China's scientific and technological self-reliance and openness and cooperation are not antagonistic, but form a relationship of dialectical unity. China's innovative development cannot be separated from the world, and the world has an increasing need for China's scientific and technological progress. Especially on agriculture, an issue concerning the basic survival of all human beings, China stands ready to strengthen international scientific and technological cooperation in the field of agricultural and rural development and join hands with all parties to address this major global challenge in the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, mutual benefit and win-win results. The Meeting aims to build mutual trust among the participating parties through communication, and on the basis of mutual trust, integrate their advantages and resources to form a synergy for practical cooperation, jointly promote agricultural and rural development and deliver fruits and dividends of science and technology innovation to more people. The 20-year-old Conference on International Exchange of Professionals is an exposition and trade fair for international cooperation on science and technology innovation and international talent exchange, as well as an important platform and well-known brand gathering global innovation resources. Serving agricultural and rural development has always been one of the important purposes of the conference. Going forward, by highlighting the role of science and technology innovation in supporting rural revitalization, the conference will give full play to the advantages of the conference as an international platform, integrate high-quality resources from all parties in the field of agricultural and rural development, promote the exchange and sharing of advanced experiences and ideas, carry out cooperation and trade of projects, technologies and products so as to foster new impetus for rural revitalization and agricultural and rural development.