Science and technology cooperation boasts potential in advancing B& R initiative

In a self- deprecating speech at a symposium to enhance cooperation in science and technology among countries involved in China’s One Belt, One Road initiative, Jay Narayan Shah, a professor at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences ( PAHS), described Nepal as an unvalued small country being caught between China and India. Immediately following Shah’s remark, Deputy Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology Yin Hejun expressed the hope that cooperation in science and technology between the two nations would soon reach a new stage.

While many observers have been focused on infrastructure projects in the various route countries, less attention has been paid to cross- national technological cooperation and interaction, which could help create a new picture of regional cooperation.

Despite Nepal’s limited influence on the international stage, there is broad space for China- Nepal cooperation in science and technology. Following a magnitude 7.9 earthquake in the South Asian country in 2015 that left nearly 1,500 people dead, the two countries have worked together on setting up an early warning system. In place since April, this new system makes Nepal a leading country in earthquake early warning mechanisms behind Japan, Mexico and China.

Science and technology in the fields of disaster monitoring, transportation logistics, satellite navigation and modern agriculture urgently need to be improved in some South Asian nations. Meanwhile, Chinese companies engaging in the relevant sectors have advanced technology but often lack market demand. In this regard, China’s One Belt, One Road initiative effectively promotes economic collaboration between the two sides.

Last year, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan worked with China in launching the China- South Asia Science and Technology Partnership Plan in a bid to enhance cooperation in the region. Such efforts are likely to produce new crossborder production chains and vibrant economic ties among those countries.

Realistically speaking, enhancing partnerships in science and technology has become an important step in implementing the One Belt, One Road initiative. In this regard, China has signed intergovernmental agreements with 49 countries along the route, and launched several plans to enhance crossnational technological cooperation.

When it comes to technology collaborations, tech trans- fer is always a sensitive subject. In a sign of how China might actively address this issue, China and Indonesia last year established a technology transfer center in Southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the fifth between China and an Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) member. This establishment of a joint facility can reduce friction and protect the interests of all parties when it comes to crossnational cooperation.