On April 12, Rector Magnificus Arthur Mol of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) led a delegation to China Agricultural University (CAU).  CAU President Sun Qixin, Professor Zhang Fusuo from the CAU College of Resources and Environmental Sciences and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering as well honorary professor of WUR, and CAU Vice President Gong Yuanshi met with the delegation and attended the WUR-CAU UniversiTree planting ceremony at which they jointly planted WUR’s first “UniversiTree” in China. The UniversiTrees program is aiming to plant a total of 100 trees this year at various locations around the world to celebrate the 100th anniversary of WUR.

On behalf of CAU, President Sun Qixin extended his warm congratulations to WUR for its 100th anniversary. He said that as the world’s top agricultural universities and boasting 100 years of history, the two universities are very similar in terms of discipline construction and mission, and have developed long-term and close cooperation in various fields of agriculture and life sciences. The faculties and students of the two universities have established deep friendships. In adherence to the university’s mission, WUR alumni working at CAU and around the world are committed to developing “healthy food and living conditions”. The plum tree planted at CAU today is the first UniversiTree planted in the world. It symbolizes “bitter cold adds keen fragrance to the plum blossom”, encouraging students to spare no pain and work hard to achieve success.

Rector Magnificus Arthur Mol expressed great pleasure in planting a friendship tree with CAU on the occasion of WUR’s 100th anniversary and commented that he was looking forward to further and closer cooperation with CAU. He quoted the Chinese proverb that it takes 10 years to grow trees, but 100 years to educate people, hoping that the two sides will join hands to build a new platform for personnel training and cooperation in scientific research, and bring the cooperation to both a new stage and a new level. 

Professor Han Beizhong of the CAU College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering and Chairman of the WUR Alumni Association in China delivered a speech on behalf of the WUR alumni. He wished for greater friendship and closer cooperation between the two universities.

Director Feng Weizhe of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office, Dean Ye Jingzhong of the College of Humanities and Development Studies, Director Li Shengli of the Sino-Dutch Dairy Development Center, Director Zhang Xiaoyong of the WUR-China Cooperation Department, and representatives of the WUR alumni at CAU, together with student delegates participated in the tree-planting activities.