The event, which is co-organised by Commission and Chinese Science and the Technology Ministry, will strengthen research ties at the highest political level. The forum will be preceded by two-days of meetings exploring the following research themes: biotechnology, nanotechnology, environment, and science and society. These are priority working areas identified by a Sino-EU management meeting that took place in June last year. Work will be concluded with a common declaration and the presentation of action plans for future working in the chosen priority areas.

Signed by Murli Manohar Joshi, the Indian Minister of Human Resource Development and Science and Technology, Annemie Neyts, Belgian Minister for Research and Pascal Lamy, European Commissioner for Trade, this agreement raises the possibility of cooperation across all the areas covered by the Framework Programme, although the environment and biotechnologies will be of particular interest.

Existing cooperative activities in health and sustainable management of natural resources have been a success because they have been closely linked to Indian economic and sustainable development priorities.

Broadening cooperation will reinforce European and Indian economic competitiveness. It will also allow both parties to analyse regional and global problems and develop a joint approach in relevant international meetings.

Mr Busquin and Mrs Toyama, Japan's Minister for Education, Sports and Science, met on 10 January to discuss an action plan that will see the two move closer to joint working in a number of policy areas. The talks were fruitful and laid the foundations for further discussions between Japan and the EU, to take place this year.

The Action Plan, which was drafted after last December's EU-Japanese summit, foresees increased cooperation in fighting poverty-related diseases (including AIDS and malaria), and on economic and social issues relating to sustainable development.
There is also likely to be closer working in biotechnology, when questions of ethics as well as pure science will be addressed.

Guizhou Province, China, hosted a symposium on forest conservation and sustainable development last summer, attracting more than 160 participants including all ten Asian partners from ASEM (The Asian-Europe Meeting).

The meeting made progress in a number of areas:

• Consolidation of partnership working on research addressing policy and technology issues as they relate to forestry and sustainability;
• A clear definition of the political dimension of S&T cooperation;
  · A clear link between forestry and sustainable and equitable development which allows cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary approaches to research. Priorities include ecosystem management, the conservation of soils water and biodiversity, the certification of forests products, energy, and rural-urban interaction;
• A recognition of the need to forge partnerships - both in and between the public and private sectors - in order to execute strategies in forest conservation and development effectively.

The symposium marked the start of ASEM dialogue in this area of research and more technical discussions are likely to begin in the coming months.

ASEM S&T co-operation in four other areas - aquaculture, clean production, water and agrofood - is being prepared for Euro-Asian partnership activities. Events similar to the symposium will be announced during the next 12 months.