The long-standing diplomatic relations between China and Iran, which were once friendly neighbors along the ancient Silk Road, have evolved into a strategic partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), with extensive exchanges and cooperation in politics, economy, energy, technology, and more. Iran is located in the "Golden Crescent" region, where drug trafficking and sales pose significant challenges due to difficult border controls. The drug problem in Iran also poses a significant threat to China. In recent years, the number of drug users in Iran has continued to increase, reaching 3 million in 2020, up from 2.2 million in 2017. The drug problem is a common social and public health issue for both China and Iran. Collaborating with Iran to promote drug prohibition and addiction treatment research is not only an essential part of China's international drug control efforts but also a critical safeguard for the economic cooperation and development under the BRI.

Our institute held the “China-Iran” Belt and Road Initiative Program of International Symposium on Addiction Medicine to discuss the latest developments in addiction medicine and international intervention on May 10th. The event was attended by several top scholars in the field, including the Director of the National Center for Mental Disorders, Zhao Min, the Chinese representative of Iran's Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and Vice President of the Iranian Society of Neuroscience, Abbas Haghparast, as well as other guests from Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the China Neuroscience Society.

The symposium focused on the core issues of addiction medicine and was centered around the theme of "China-Iran" Belt and Road international cooperation. During the opening ceremony, Zhao Min and Xu Tianle, the Executive Dean of the Songjiang Research Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, emphasized the importance and significance of cooperation between China and Iran in the field of addiction medicine. They noted that through joint research and exploration, strengthened exchanges and cooperation between disciplines will provide more scientific and effective methods and strategies for solving addiction problems. The neuroscience societies of both countries will also provide important support for relevant international cooperation.

(Source: https://www.smhc.org.cn/English/list/6/1241.html)