In Uzbekistan, in late April, Wang Jian, at the invitation of Laziz Kudratov, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade, participated in the Second Tashkent International Investment Forum held in the nation’s capital city Tashkent. The forum was initiated by the President of Uzbekistan H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev and hosted by the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan, and brought together domestic and foreign business leaders, investors, exporters, and international media journalists. 

Wang Jian participated in two Panel Sessions, one on “Quality Investments for Agriculture” and one on “The Role of Healthcare Insurance in the Development of Health Care”. 

Wang Jian (second from right) with participants at the round table sessions where he introduced BGI Group and shared BGI experiences.

Wang Jian visited the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan and invited Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, to be a visiting professor at BGI College. The minister gladly accepted and presented a book to Wang Jian.

Wang Jian met with Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation (right). (Courtesy of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.)

After the forum, Wang Jian, at the invitation of the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and Shahlo Turdikulova, the Deputy Minister, visited Uzbekistan’s Syrdarya Region and its capital Gulistan where he visited a primary healthcare center. He was invited to deliver a speech and cut the ribbon for the newly completed Youth Innovation Industrial Park. 

Wang Jian was invited to deliver a speech and cut the ribbon for the newly completed Youth Innovation Industrial Park.

During his meeting with Akmal Mahmudaliev, Governor of Syrdarya Region, the governor stated that the regional government will provide full support to BGI for its business operations in the local area, including but not limited to precision medicine, early screening and diagnosis of tumors.

Wang Jian and his team met with Akmal Mahmudaliev, Governor of Syrdarya Region (third from right).

At the invitation of Shahlo Turdikulova, Wang Jian also visited the Center of Advanced Technologies, a scientific research institution directly under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. He spoke on "DNA, Cell, and STOmics for Everything and Everyone" to an audience of nearly a hundred people and had active and enthusiastic interactions with multiple teams of the scientific research institution. After the lecture, Wang Jian encouraged young scholars to conduct thorough research in the field and welcomed them to visit BGI for study exchange, and joint research projects.

Wang Jian together with teams of the Center of Advanced Technologies.

In early May, Wang Jian and his team visited Kazakhstan and held meetings on precision medicine with Aisha Iskakova, Acting General Director of the National Center for Biotechnology, an institution directly under the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan.

Wang Jian and his team visited National Center for Biotechnology in Kazakhstan.

Wang Jian held a meeting with Abulkhair Tamabek, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Nurken Sharbiyev, Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Nurlan Kylyshbayev, Chairman of the Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and Kumar Kylychev, Head of Energy and Environment Department, United Nations Development Program Kazakhstan.

More than half of Kazakhstan's land is arid grassland and is dominated by semi-deserts, with 7 of the 14 regions having land desertification areas greater than 5,000 square kilometers. The Ministry of Natural Environment and Ecology of Kazakhstan, and the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan expressed their strong interest in the desertification transformation plan introduced by the BGI delegation which called for a joint pilot project so as to prepare for the subsequent larger-scale desertification transformation.

The meeting with the Ministry of Healthcare of Kazakhstan was the last stop of Wang Jian’s visit to Central Asia. The First Deputy Minister of Healthcare, Timur Sultangaziel, presided over the meeting, accompanied by Nurkan Sadvakasov, Chairman of the Committee of Sanitary and Epidemiological Control of the Ministry of Healthcare, and Gulnafis Zhusipaliyeva and Manarbek Akhmetberkov, executives of scientific research institutions of the Ministry of Healthcare. 

The meeting focused on cooperation in public health, disease diagnosis, monitoring, and prevention, etc., in order to improve the quality of the population and reduce the incidence of diseases, as well as promoting the application of genomics in the local medical field to improve people's well-being.

Wang Jian met with Kazakhstan government officials.

Adhering to the original intention of "genomics technology to benefit mankind", BGI will continue to strengthen technological research, development, and innovation, use the power of genomics technology to help the development of global public health, and contribute to the construction of the “Health Silk Road” in countries along the Belt and Road.