The second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange is set to take place in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province in southwest China, from June 10 to 12.

　　With the theme "Building the Innovation Silk Road for Shared Development: Working Together for a Belt and Road Science and Technology Community," the conference will promote the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, emphasizing multilateral consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits. It aims to strengthen scientific collaboration and provide robust technological support for high-quality development under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

　　According to Vice Minister of Science and Technology Chen Jiachang, the conference will serve as a platform for policy coordination, academic exchanges, industrial innovation, international mega-science projects and emerging technologies such as AI.

　　A number of bilateral government agreements on science and technology cooperation are expected to be signed during the event. Additionally, several specialized BRI science and technology cooperation programs will be launched, including international mega-science projects led by Chinese scientists, injecting new momentum into the development of an Innovation Silk Road.

　　The organizers have planned five major segments across 38 sessions: keynote events, themed forums, special activities, roundtable discussions and technology matchmaking. BRI partner countries have shown enthusiasm to participate, with representatives from more than 100 nations and international organizations expected to attend.

　　This year's event reflects the growing influence of BRI scientific collaboration. The first Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange was held in Chongqing in southwest China in November 2023.

　　Since the first conference, China and the BRI partner countries have advanced the Belt and Road Science, Technology, and Innovation Cooperation Action Plan, achieving deeper institutional collaboration, stronger people-to-people ties, and increasingly tangible outcomes. This year's event will further institutionalize this open, inclusive and mutually beneficial framework for cross-border and interdisciplinary scientific engagement, renewing the impetus to global science and technology cooperation.

　　China has scientific and technological cooperation with more than 160 countries and regions, has signed 119 intergovernmental sci-tech agreements, and joined more than 200 international organizations and multilateral mechanisms, according to Chen.

　　The conference is jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Association for Science and Technology, the Sichuan Provincial People's Government, and the Chongqing Municipal People's Government.