Muscat: The Sultanate of Oman is participating in the second Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange, which is taking place in the People's Republic of China.
The Omani delegation is led by Dr. Rahma Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation.
In her speech at the conference, Dr. Rahma underlined the significance of international collaboration in science and technology, praising the Belt and Road Initiative's contribution in fostering scientific and research ties among participating countries. She also emphasized Oman Vision 2040 and its critical pillars, which correspond with the Science and Technology Exchange Initiative's goals under the Belt and Road framework.
She highlighted Oman's significant accomplishments since its initial involvement in the initiative, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding on science and technology cooperation. This has resulted in various collaborative initiatives between Omani and Chinese universities, including knowledge exchange on smart campuses, increased scientific cooperation with Chinese private sector enterprises—particularly the worldwide corporation Huawei—student and researcher exchanges, and cultural cooperation through Chinese language instruction and Arabic education for nonnative speakers.
On the sidelines of the event, the Minister met with Lin Xin, Vice Minister of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, to discuss ways to improve scientific and technological exchanges in priority research areas such as environmental science, food security, medicine, health sciences (including traditional medicine), and artificial intelligence.
Discussions also included expertise exchange in marine and ocean sciences, genetic resources, and mutual invitations to scientific conferences, including the next Arab-Chinese Conference planned for August 2025. Furthermore, they addressed cultural exchange cooperation, teaching each other's language in higher education institutions, and increasing mutual recognition of academic credentials.
During her visit to Sichuan University in Chengdu, the Minister looked into potential cooperation on scientific and research projects, with a focus on the creative arts. She also spoke about partnership prospects between Omani private higher education institutions and the Chinese university, such as collaborative exhibitions, young researcher training, bilateral research projects, cultural student events, and collaboration in AI, IoT, and modern technology.
