China's Vice Premier Hui Liangyu made the remarks in his message of congratulations to the ongoing annual general meeting of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, or CGIAR.

CGIAR's Chair Katherine Sierra lauded the cooperation with China since China joined the organization in 1984.

"Our partnership with China has continued to expand and to flourish. 11 centers now conduct research in this country in partnership with 50 Chinese institutions in more than two thirds of the country's provinces. Together we have completed or have ongoing some 70 projects. I'm pleased that we have this opportunity to review shared progress and achievements and to continue strengthening our partnership."

Established in 1971, the CGIAR is China's largest international partner in agricultural research and development. It is a strategic partnership consisting of 47 countries, 13 international and regional organizations and four private foundations.

A science forum is also held during the two-day meeting, which is designed to draw lessons learned from major scientific achievements of recent years, examine new developments in various areas of advanced sciences and determine how the CGIAR can apply these scientific fruits to help less developed countries.