On August 20, the Desertification Prevention and Control Technology and Practice Workshop for Mongolian technicians kicked off. The workshop was organized by the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office, assisted by the Ningxia Forestry and Grassland Administration, and supported by the Ningxia Academy of Agricultural Sciences, which has also received robust guidance and support from relevant Chinese ministries and commissions. The workshop aimed to better serve China’s overall diplomacy, implement the important consensus on desertification control cooperation reached by the heads of state of China and Mongolia, and deepen practical cooperation between the two sides in ecological conservation and desertification management. The 14 participants were officials and technicians from the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Forestry and Grassland and other related departments of Bayankhongor Province in Mongolia, an international friendship city of Ningxia.

Since the establishment of international friendship city relations in July 2012, Ningxia and Bayankhongor have continuously deepened mutual understanding and trust, delivering fruitful cooperation outcomes in areas such as ecological conservation, youth exchanges, education and culture. Last November, a team of experts from Ningxia visited Bayankhongor to conduct special research on ecological restoration and desertification prevention and control, engaging in in-depth communication with local technicians. In December, Bai Yuzhen, Director-General of the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office, attended Invest Banyankhongor via video link and signed an MOU to deepen the international friendship city relations between the two sides.

Utilizing a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, hands-on training, case studies, and thematic discussions, the workshop vividly and comprehensively introduced Ningxia’s measures in desertification prevention and control, ecological restoration, drought-resist afforestation in sandy areas, and forest management to Mongolian participants. Additionally, through the workshop, a platform for international cooperation and academic exchanges will be established, promoting Ningxia’s advanced desertification control techniques and philosophies, and contributing Ningxia’s wisdom and solutions to the world’s efforts for ecological conservation and desertification management.