Reprinted from the Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University
BEIJING, May 13, 2026 — On May 11, President Xie Suyuan led a senior delegation from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) to the Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) for an in-depth strategic exchange. The visit included a high-level symposium with CAF President Wang Yangdong and Vice President Wang Junhui, focusing on technological innovation, talent cultivation, and service to national strategic goals.
Strengthening the Foundation of a “Double First-Class” University
During the symposium, President Xie Suyuan expressed his gratitude to the CAF for its long-standing support of FAFU. He highlighted that FAFU is currently at a pivotal moment in its development, guided by the instructions received in a reply letter from General Secretary Xi Jinping on September 20, 2025.
President Xie detailed FAFU’s recent breakthroughs as the university pursues the National “Double First-Class” Initiative, specifically focusing on Forestry and Plant Protection disciplines. Key highlights included:
- Ecological Leadership: Fujian has maintained the highest forest coverage rate in China (65.85%) for 47 consecutive years. FAFU has served as a primary source of innovation for the “Collective Forest Tenure Reform.”
- Technological Impact: FAFU’s proprietary pine wilt disease control technology has been deployed across 40 million mu in 21 provinces. Additionally, its soil erosion control techniques in Southern China were selected as a typical case for ecological restoration at the United Nations COP15.
- Commercial Success: A single patent from the State Key Laboratory of Agrobio-security was transferred for 20 million RMB, setting a record for the highest individual patent contract in Fujian’s agricultural sector.
- Cross-Strait Integration: FAFU continues to serve as a “bridgehead” for agricultural education and talent exchange between mainland China and Taiwan.
Integrating Basic Research with National Strategy
President Wang Yangdong of the CAF warmly welcomed the delegation and commended FAFU’s “meteoric rise” in basic research. He specifically noted FAFU’s extraordinary achievement of publishing 22 high-impact papers in Cell, Nature, and Science (CNS) as the primary or corresponding affiliation.
As a comprehensive national research institution under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the CAF oversees 18 institutes and centers dedicated to national missions such as the “Three-North Shelter Forest Program,” “Double Carbon” goals, and forest tenure reform. President Wang emphasized that the synergy between FAFU’s strength in basic research and CAF’s expertise in applied engineering would be formidable.
A Future-Oriented Strategic Alliance
Building upon a strategic cooperation agreement signed in March 2026, both leaders reached a consensus on several future initiatives:
- Joint Major Projects: Collaborative bidding for national-level research tasks.
- Platform Sharing: Co-construction of high-level innovation platforms.
- Core Technology Breakthroughs: Jointly tackling “bottleneck” technologies in forestry.
- Talent Exchange: Deepening the mutual flow of high-quality graduates and researchers.
Site Inspection: AI and Digital Twins in Forestry
Accompanied by Vice President Wang Junhui, the FAFU delegation visited the Artificial Intelligence and Visualization Laboratory. They received briefings on:
- Digital Twin Platforms: Advanced modeling for forest management.
- Low-Altitude Intelligent Systems: The use of specialized drones for forestry.
- UAV Fire Prevention: Intelligent patrol and early warning systems for forest fire safety.
The delegation also visited the CAF Wood Specimen Museum, exploring achievements in wood identification, tree species tracing, and “wood archaeology.”
The visit concluded with a mutual commitment to support FAFU’s bid for the National “Double First-Class” status and to jointly contribute to China’s ecological civilization and the high-quality development of the forestry industry.
