On December 6, the Seventh International Workshop on Meteorological Science and Technology in Central Asia opened in Urumqi, Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Over 100 participants from World Meteorological Organization (WMO), National Meteorological and Hydrological Services from Central Asia, and Shanghai Cooperative Organization (SCO), and meteorological institutions from China attended the workshop online. Dr. Zhang Zuqiang, Deputy Administrator of China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Dr. Zhang Wenjian, Assistant Secretary-General of WMO, Mr. Ben Churchill, Head of WMO Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific, and Mr. Nurlan ABAYEV, Director of Scientific Research Centre from Kazakhstan National Hydrometeorological Service attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Representatives from Department of International Cooperation of CMA deliver a report on high-quality development of meteorology.

Dr. Zhang Zuqiang expressed cordial greetings to all participants on behalf of CMA. He stated that CMA and NHMCs along Belt and Road territories worked close together and achieved fruitful results in jointly promoting regional meteorological scientific development. CMA will continue to share global public products and services like FENGYUN meteorological satellites, explore the construction of Silk Road joint meteorological research platform, push forward development in terms of numerical weather prediction (NWP), to deepen regional meteorological scientific cooperation and experience exchange.

Dr. Zhang Wenjian spoke highly of the contribution of the workshop to regional meteorological cooperation. He called on all to contribute to pragmatic regional cooperation in the spirit of Urumqi Initiative. He expressed that WMO would continue to consolidate cooperation with CMA in myriad ways and fields, support regional meteorological science and technology and service development, to underpin regional economic-social development.

The workshop was hosted by CMA. This event has discussed over topics like propelling pragmatic regional cooperation, severe weather and climate change in central Asia, climate change response and adaptation, FENGYUN meteorological satellite application, and key regional NWP technologies.

In 2015, the Urumqi Initiative of Disaster Prevention and Reduction and Addressing Climate Change in Central Asia was signed, which constructed the mechanism for central Asia meteorological science and technology exchanges.

Editor: Liu Shuqiao