The city of Sanya is speeding up the construction of a transfer base for animal and plant germplasms from around the world, and is expected to serve as a major project under the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.
There is a small island shaped like a crescent in Yazhou Bay, which is named Moon Island, and is where the base is being constructed. On July 19, there were more than 140 workers working on the National (Sanya) Inspection Center (Phase I) on Moon Island.
The total investment of the project is 372 million yuan ($57.53 million) and the total construction area is 30,600 square meters. The project mainly includes an animal and plant isolation and quarantine center, a plant isolation nursery, a sewage treatment station and other outdoor projects. The project has completed 20 percent of the overall progress up to now. It is expected to be completed in October next year and begin operations by the end of next year, according to Pei Yunzhou, the executive manager of the project.
The project aims to ensure the country's biosafety, as well as conserve Hainan's ecology. After its completion, green utilization and harmless treatment of animal and plant germplasm resources will be carried out to provide technological support for the isolation inspection and quarantine of inbound and outbound animals and plants, and to ensure the safe, stable and sustainable development of the seed industry.
Under the current international situation, promoting the introduction and transfer of germplasm resources and international cooperation is not only an important part of the construction of the Hainan FTP, but also an important symbol of China's opening up, said Li Jian, deputy director of the Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City Administration.
The local authorities will utilize germplasm resources, identification, evaluation and sharing, as well as explore the new patterns of germplasm resource preservation, exchange, trade, scientific research, and industrial application. The project aims to play a leading role in the construction of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics.
