China has rolled out plans to develop smart agriculture by giving prominence to the completion of seven major tasks by 2028 in terms of precision planting, digitalized cultivation and intelligent livestock breeding and fisheries.
Released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the plans include guidelines and action items that focus on significantly improving the application of smart agriculture. Key areas of emphasis include promoting precision planting of major grains, digitizing agricultural equipment, and enhancing intelligent livestock breeding and fisheries.
"We have orchestrated a monitoring network consisting of remote satellites, drone surveillance and ground screening, enabling real-time and comprehensive monitoring of agricultural meteorology, soil moisture content, and environmental factors such as pests and diseases. This greatly improves our ability to monitor and forecast agricultural disasters," said Wang Yaozong, director of the Department of Market and Informatization at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
For the first time, the construction of public service capacity for smart agriculture has been proposed. To support this initiative, relevant authorities will build a big data platform for agriculture and rural affairs and develop a range of models and tools to promote the digital transformation of farmers and agricultural businesses at low costs.
In Xiong'an New Area, Hebei Province, a smart farm called Fuxi Farmland has been implemented in various cities across China.
Utilizing big data and artificial intelligence (AI), engineers can manage grain planting by controlling remote unmanned machines from a control center located 20 kilometers away, while accessing real-time information about crops through a large monitoring screen.
"The smart agricultural machines are equipped with various intelligent control systems. Following the pre-set routes, they can operate accurately according to our pathways, with support from the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, all initiated through an app on a mobile phone or smart terminal," said Bi Zhiqiang, an engineer at the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Besides serving sowing and planting links, smart equipment also enhances breeding efficiency by creating models based on big data to optimize processes. To date, Fuxi Farm has been established in several provinces, facilitated by the deepening integration of technologies such as the Internet of Things and AI with agriculture.
China raises seven major tasks to develop smart agriculture
As the 7th China International Import Expo (CIIE) approaches, major exhibitors in the healthcare and skincare sectors have expressed excitement about showcasing their innovative products, fostering collaborations and expanding their reach in the Chinese market.
Themed "New Era, Shared Future," the 7th CIIE is scheduled for November 5-10 in Shanghai, featuring participation from 152 countries, regions and international organizations, including 77 countries and international organizations for national exhibitions and nearly 3,500 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions for business exhibitions.
Many multinationals view the expo as a prime opportunity to display their latest products and seek new collaborations.
Guan Hong, a representative for the Chinese branch of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, reflected on the company's successful participation in previous CIIEs and expressed optimism about introducing innovative products to the Chinese market for the benefit of patients.
"Novartis has attended all the CIIE in the past 7 years. We've really witnessed the medicines [going] from the exhibition finally to the public. In the 2021 CIIE, we got a cooperation agreement with Hainan Bo'ao, and then we piloted the study before we got approval. Last year, we got a fast approval by NMPA (National Medical Products Administration), and now it's already benefited more than 10,000 patients in China. We really want to bring the fast-approach products and innovative products to China as soon as possible to benefit as many patients as possible," said Guan, referring to the annual Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) held in the resort town of Boao, southern China's Hainan Province and the China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the country's top drug regulator.
Jean-Christophe Pointeau, global senior vice president of Pfizer, a U.S.-based pharmaceutical company, expressed optimism about signing memorandums of understanding (MoUs) at this year's edition, citing a favorable regulatory environment for foreign investment in China's biopharmaceutical sector.
"A lot of trade will happen within the ecosystem of healthcare, but also memorandums of understanding. You know that Pfizer, we have a series of MoUs we are going to sign. And recently, from the Third Plenum, we saw that the policies on high-quality development for innovation of the biopharmaceutical sector is one of them, but also policies to ease the foreign investment. So, this environment is extremely positive and extremely encouraging for the multinationals. And that's why Pfizer and other multinationals are extremely confident," Pointeau said, referring to the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held this July, which put great emphasis on high-quality development, technological innovation and industrial upgrading.
Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido has a history of embracing trends in technology, from using humanoid robots in their manufacturing process to developing an augmented reality app to help give users skincare tips. Toshinobu Umetsu, president and CEO of Shiseido China, said the company plans to emphasize its innovations incorporating its products with autonomous driving at this year's CIIE.
"For this year's CIIE, we looked at the 'mobility space' with autonomous driving, which is often seen as an iconic advanced innovation around the world. We invite visitors to discover more about the cornerstone on which Shiseido's innovations are built. So, [we have] globally-leading standards in product safety and quality management," he said.
As the world's first national-level import-themed expo, the CIIE is held annually at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.
Since its first edition in 2018, this expo has become an important stage spotlighting China's new development paradigm, a platform for high-level opening-up and a public good for the whole world.
Global firms gear up for 7th CIIE with innovative exhibits
