On 17 August 2026, H.E. Ambassador Zhou Ding attended the commissioning ceremony of the China-Zimbabwe Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Agricultural Ecology and Cash Crops, alongside the inaugural meeting of its Academic Committee. Over 300 participants were present, including officials from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, experts from Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as academics, faculty members and students from the University of Zimbabwe. 

Citing the Joint Laboratory as a key project aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, Ambassador Zhou noted that China has not only provided laboratory equipment, but has also dispatched a team of experts led by academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to offer technical guidance. Following the commissioning of the laboratory, China will work hand in hand with Zimbabwe to build a cross-border platform for agricultural research and talent cultivation, promote deeper integration between research outputs and agricultural trade, advance Zimbabwe’s agricultural modernisation, and add new substance to the China-Zimbabwe all-weather community with a shared future. 

The representative from the Zimbabwean Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development stated that the Joint Laboratory is well in line with  Zimbabwe’s national development strategy and its Education 5.0 framework. Zimbabwe will promote the translation of research findings into practical applications to serve the country’s economic growth and sustainable development.