原文链接：

Openness Momentum Remains Strong

原文如下：

　The fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress and the fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (hereinafter referred to as Two Sessions) were held recently.

　　The Two Sessions highlighted some themes: sci-tech development, openness and cooperation. As the nation outlines its strategic roadmap for scientific and technological advancement, the narrative is about its domestic growth and its role in integrating global talent and fostering international cooperation.

　　Dr. Md Altab Hossin arrived in China from Bangladesh 15 years ago for higher education. He found an advanced, innovative and globally oriented research ecosystem. Today, he is a foreign expert at the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Chengdu University in southwest China.

　　In his view, "China is not only attracting global talent but also giving equal and stable access to foreign talents for research funds, enabling us to integrate into the country's scientific fabric and promote the shared progress of science and technology."

　　Youshaa Danyal, a third-year PhD candidate from Pakistan specializing in wheat genetics and breeding, echoed him, saying China's research environment offers more than just resources. It provides a platform where science translates directly into public benefit.

　　Working in the China-Pakistan Wheat Molecular Breeding International Joint Lab, a collaborative agricultural research initiative based at the Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan, Danyal says one of the most powerful demonstrations of science translating into public benefit is the integration of high-throughput genomics with large-scale breeding programs.

　　His research focuses on wheat biofortification to improve grain zinc concentration. It is a critical issue for Pakistan, where wheat is a staple for over 220 million people and micronutrient deficiency remains a serious challenge.

　　With genomic selection, haplotype analysis and other technologies, Danyal and his colleagues are shortening breeding cycles and enhancing precision. They are dissecting the genetic architecture of zinc accumulation and using marker-assisted selection to pyramid beneficial alleles.

　　The result is improved wheat lines that enhance nutritional quality without sacrificing yield.

　　Danyal expressed strong confidence in China's ability to attract and empower global talent.

　　After completing his Master's in Pakistan, he moved to China to work on modern genomics with practical breeding objectives. He emphasized the bilateral nature of their work: "Importantly, our breeding strategy serves both countries."

　　International collaboration, particularly between China and the U.S., remains pivotal.

　　"From an American scholar's perspective, China's sci-tech advances are no longer peripheral to global progress. They are structurally embedded in it," Denis Simon, a senior fellow at the Quincy Institute, an American foreign policy think tank, told Science and Technology Daily.

　　He identified three key areas where China contributes globally: scale-based solutions, scientific output and the provision of global public goods.

　　Regarding scale, Simon said in sectors like renewable energy, battery production and electric vehicles, "China's scale lowers global cost curves. This accelerates global decarbonization, even for countries politically distant from China."

　　Furthermore, China has become one of the largest producers of high-quality STEM research, often setting the pace in fields such as materials science and applied engineering.

　　He also highlighted China's role in shaping alternative innovation pathways for the Global South through digital infrastructure and health cooperation. "If this promotes more global integration, it is a good thing."

　　However, he has questions about the future: "The critical issue is whether knowledge flows remain bidirectional in the midst of geo-political tensions."

　　Simon has been studying sci-tech cooperation between China and the U.S. for a long time. Despite competitive dynamics and security concerns, he believes that a complete technological decoupling is neither likely nor desirable, a view supported by policy signals from the Two Sessions.

　　China's development strategy, Simon said, still assumes continued participation in global scientific networks. Climate change and clean energy serve as prime examples where cooperation is essential.

　　"Both China and the United States have strong incentives to cooperate in advancing renewable energy systems, battery innovation and carbon-reduction technologies," he said. Public health and biotechnology also represent valuable areas for collaboration, particularly in disease surveillance and vaccine development.

　　Simon concluded with a reminder of the enduring value of partnership: "Even in basic science, collaboration between Chinese and American researchers has historically produced some of the most influential research outcomes. While security concerns are creating new constraints on such partnerships, the underlying scientific incentives for cooperation remain strong."