Northwest China's Gansu Province has been strengthening technology cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road since the Chinese initiative was launched in 2013.
According to Shi Baizhan, Director of the Science and Technology Department of Gansu Province, 35 international science and technology cooperation bases have been set up in the province, covering fields ranging from agriculture, medicine and health, new energy to desertification prevention.
"At present, we have made progress in the cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road in renewable energy and agriculture in cold and arid areas. In the long run, we are going to expand the cooperation and share our experiences with these countries. For instance, Gansu Natural Energy Research Institute is working with Pakistan on renewable energy. The institute has recently transferred its technologies to Pakistan, which has shown a big interest in using and spreading the technologies. Our cooperation focuses on the use and secondary use of sunlight."
Gansu used to be a key stop and trade hub along the ancient Silk Road. Now the province has forged close links with countries along the Belt and Road. Latest data show that Gansu's imports and exports with countries along the Belt and Road grew 31.7 percent to 2 billion yuan, or 298 million U.S. dollars, in January, taking up 55.9 percent of the province's total foreign trade and 12.9 percentage points higher over the same period of last year.
