The signing ceremony of an environmental research institute, a joint venture between Jiaxing government and the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is held in Beijing, on May 29. [Photo/cnjxol.com]

An environmental research institute, a joint venture between Jiaxing government and the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, a branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will be located in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, according to a cooperation agreement signed on May 29. 

The institute, located in the Jiaxing Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is designed to support 16 key projects of eco-environmental science and technology, especially the treatment of water, wetland agriculture and the effect of straw return mode on soil aggregation in Jiaxing city. 

Jiaxing and the research center first established cooperative relations in 2006. 

Over the years, significant headway has been made in improving the water quality in Jiaxing through joint efforts, including the building of the Shijiuyang ecological wetland for drinking water, one of the largest constructed wetlands for water resource protection in China. 

"Ecological construction is at the foundation of Jiaxing's sustainable development. Though good results have been obtained through previous efforts, there is still a belief that people's lives can be made better, which is why we chose to further our bilateral cooperation," said a local official. 

He also hoped that the two sides can achieve greater breakthroughs in areas of water, gas, oil and waste management through the continued cooperation.