On September 2nd, the Crop Pest Management International Symposium took place at the Dezheng Building in GZU. Chen Xiangsheng, the Vice President of GZU, delivered a speech, while Professor Liu Tongxian from the Institute of Entomology of the College of Agriculture at GZU presided over the event. This symposium, organized by GZU as one of the projects of the 2023 China-ASEAN Cooperation Week, was undertaken by the University's Institute of Entomology and received support from the College of Plant Medicine at Qingdao Agricultural University. With the theme of "Innovation and Collaboration," the symposium aims to encourage active participation from all stakeholders in pest control and plant protection, serving the best interests of China and other countries.

During his opening remarks, Vice President Chen Xiangsheng highlighted the history and development of GZU, with a specific emphasis on the entomology academic program. He encouraged experts to share their cutting-edge research findings, exchange experiences, and address common challenges in agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry across different countries and regions. The aim was to find practical solutions that can contribute to sustainable agricultural development on a global scale.

Liu Tongxian emphasized that the emergence of exotic pests, diseases, and invasive alien species has resulted in significant economic losses at a national level. This has not only impacted global trade, but has also heightened biosecurity risks. The purpose of the symposium is to foster the creation of collaborative platforms and scientific networks on an international scale. Through collective efforts in developing environmentally-friendly plant protection technologies and systems, international plant protection laboratories and specialized centers can be established to ensure food security and ecological safety.

During the meeting, a group of distinguished professors and experts delivered academic presentations and engaged in discussions through both online and offline connections. The participants included Michael Keller, former Chairman of the International Entomological Society and professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia, Guy Smagghe, recipient of the China Friendship Award and professor at GZU, Qiu Baoli from Chongqing Normal University, Han Peng from Yunnan University, Lü Zhaozhi from Qingdao Agricultural University, Kang Zhiwei from Hebei University, Abid Ali from Faisalabad Agricultural University in Pakistan, Meron Zakucki from the University of Queensland in Australia, and Hu Xiangshun, Associate Researcher from Northwest A&F University.

Editor: Pang Aizhong

Chief Editor: Li Xufeng

Senior Editor: Yang Nan

Translator: Li Xiaorong