A delegation from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) visited Fiocruz from April 7th to 9th to take part in a seminar on microbial resistance with researchers from the Foundation. In addition to the workshop, the group also visited Fiocruz's units. On the last day of the visit, the deputy mayor of Beijing, Jin Wei, and his entourage, joined the group and signed an addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in April 2023 laying the foundations for cooperation between CAS and Fiocruz.
CAS and Fiocruz signed an addendum to the MoU that establishes the basis for cooperation (photo: Pedro Linger)
On Monday (4/7), the group visited the Fernandes Figueira National Institute for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (IFF/Fiocruz). On Tuesday (8), CAS researchers met with colleagues from the Foundation for a seminar on antimicrobial resistance at the Center for Strategic Studies (CEE/Fiocruz). This is the sixth time that a delegation from CAS has come to Fiocruz for such meetings, which are considered a key point in cooperation between the institutions.
On Wednesday (7/9), the deputy mayor of Beijing, Jin Wei, also visited Fiocruz. In a meeting at the Official Residence, he, the coordinator of the Center for Technological Development in Health (CDTS/Fiocruz), Carlos Morel, and the deputy director-general of the Institute of Microbiology at CAS, Qihui Wang, signed an addendum to the MoU on cooperation. The signing reflects the mutual commitment to strengthen and expand cooperation in search of solutions to common challenges. This extends collaboration to issues such as antimicrobial resistance, public health, health crisis preparedness, and the training of scientists.
"I would say that Fiocruz is a leading institution in science in Latin America; an institution committed to global health and to that of Brazilians, who have made a historic contribution," said Beijing's deputy mayor, Jin Wei, who highlighted the partnership between CAS and Fiocruz. "It is an honor to witness the progress of this collaboration, which I hope will be expanded to generate impact in increasingly more countries."
After Jin Wei's speech on the investments and health challenges facing Beijing and China, Carlos Morel emphasized the deputy mayor's vision of public health. "We are very happy to have such a partner in China and in our collaboration," said Morel. "Our collaboration is just one part of the collaboration between the countries. Brazil's desire is to collaborate increasingly more with China, and I hope that our partnership will serve as a model."
Deputy director-general of the Institute of Microbiology at CAS, Qihui Wang led the delegation. She stressed that cooperation between CAS and Fiocruz is essential given the common challenges faced by the countries. "We have all suffered from the pandemic and now we need to get back on our feet, fighting together for solutions to global public health problems. Antimicrobial resistance is one of these problems. And how to diagnose this quickly, as well as find alternative treatments, is very important," she commented.