STORY: Prospects for China-Dutch agricultural cooperation promising: Dutch expert
SHOOTING TIME: July 31, 2024
DATELINE: Aug. 6, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:22
LOCATION: WAGENINGEN, the Netherlands
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the signing ceremony between Mengniu Group and Wageningen University and Research
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HARRY WICHERS, Senior researcher at Wageningen University and Research (WUR)
3. various of the signing ceremony
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): HARRY WICHERS, Senior researcher at Wageningen University and Research (WUR)

STORYLINE:

Harry Wichers, a senior researcher at Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in the Netherlands, has emphasized the promising prospects for agricultural cooperation between the Netherlands and China.
   
In a recent interview with Xinhua, Wichers highlighted key areas such as sustainable development, food and health, addressing the challenges of an aging population.
   
Sustainable development is crucial for both countries, and WUR aims to support sustainable development in both countries through collaborations with Chinese enterprises and research institutions, he told Xinhua. WUR is a renowned institution in agricultural sciences, both in the Netherlands and globally.
   
Wichers also highlighted nutrition as a key area for potential collaboration, noting the implications of increasing average life expectancy and declining birth rates, which lead to an aging population.
   
As people age, the likelihood of health issues increases, which significantly impacts healthcare costs, he explained. WUR would strive to conduct research to support healthy living through nutrition and by creating a healthy living environment.
   
China's dairy giant Mengniu Group has recently signed a project cooperation agreement with WUR to initiate joint research and innovation in the fields of nutritional science and food technology. During the signing ceremony, Wichers was honored with the title of "Mengniu Global Think Tank Expert."

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): HARRY WICHERS, Senior researcher at Wageningen University and Research (WUR)
"We value very much the cooperation with Mengniu because we know that Mengniu is an innovative company that is dealing also with questions to which we are looking for answers that we also try to answer in Wageningen. We focus on learning from nature to improve the quality of life. At the moment, we have different challenges to mankind in which we think Mengniu and Wageningen can cooperate very nicely together."

Wichers emphasized that WUR highly values partnerships with companies, as these collaborations facilitate the practical application and transformation of research and innovation outcomes.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): HARRY WICHERS, Senior researcher at Wageningen University and Research (WUR)
"Wageningen places a high value and industry-academia cooperation because we think it illustrates our relevance. It means that organizations who want to apply our research are interested in what we're doing. Mengniu is one of those. If nobody would care about what we were doing, nobody would come to ask us what we were doing, we would think that we would be irrelevant. So we're very happy with cooperation with all kinds of organizations, amongst which industries to be able to give meaning to the type of work that we do."

According to Wichers, WUR has established extensive collaborations with Chinese companies and research institutions, jointly cultivating agricultural talent. Currently, many Chinese students are pursuing their doctoral degrees at WUR, reflecting the depth of this cooperative relationship.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Wageningen, the Netherlands.
(XHTV)