US and China botanists sign cooperation pact amid geopolitical tensions

The botanical societies of the United States and China have signed a new plant science cooperation initiative, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties and foster an open scientific community to address global challenges. The agreement was formalized during a Sino-American botany conference held in China's Shandong province from September 19 to 23.

The conference, themed 'Future Botany in a Changing World,' brought together hundreds of experts from both countries to discuss plant diversity and conservation, the tree of life, plant multi-omics, climate change, and a greener planet. Organizers described the event as a way to deepen the long-standing friendship and cooperation between Chinese and American botanists.

The timing of the conference is significant, occurring as China and the United States engage in increasing competition over technology and strategic influence, which has led to greater scrutiny of scientific exchange. Despite these geopolitical tensions, botanists from both nations are proceeding with in-person collaboration, testing whether scientific relationships built over decades can endure in a changed political environment.

Shared global problems such as climate change, food security, and biodiversity conservation, which neither country can solve independently, provide a practical logic for continued cooperation. The modern botanical relationship between the two nations was rebuilt after the 1980 Sino-American Botanical Expedition and institutionalized through the North America–China Plant Exploration Consortium (NACPEC) in 1991, suggesting a resilient foundation for collaboration.