Chinese delegation visits IAK: Expert exchange on soil monitoring, contaminated site remediation and sustainable soil protection
On May 20, 2026, IAK Agrar Consulting GmbH welcomed a high-level Chinese delegation to Leipzig within the framework of the Sino-German Agricultural Center (DCZ), funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH) and implemented by IAK as consortium lead together with the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO).
The delegation included representatives of the Technical Centre for Soil, Agriculture and Rural Ecology and Environment (TCARE) and the Guangxi Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (GRAES), among them Sun Yangzhao, Director of GRAES, and Chen Hexiao, Assistant to the Director of GRAES and Head of the Guangxi Environmental Protection International Cooperation and Exchange Office.
The expert dialogue focused on current developments in European and Chinese soil management, particularly topics such as soil monitoring, contaminated site remediation, soil health and the management of emerging pollutants.
The event took place at the IAK offices in Leipzig. Following an introduction to the work of IAK and the DCZ, with a special focus on the importance of international cooperation for the development of sustainable environmental and soil protection strategies, Christian Wiese from the Environmental Office of the District of Stendal, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, who supported the exchange on behalf of the DCZ, presented the current legal and institutional framework conditions of soil management in Germany and the EU.
Particular attention was given to the new European Soil Monitoring Law, which aims to establish a harmonized framework for monitoring soil health across the EU for the first time, as well as to the objectives of the EU Soil Strategy 2030. Planned monitoring and reporting systems and the challenges of their implementation within EU Member States were also discussed. In addition, Mr. Wiese explained Germany’s federal responsibilities in soil protection, existing soil monitoring programmes, and the role of research institutions and environmental authorities in soil management.
The Chinese delegation showed strong interest in German experiences in dealing with contaminated sites and polluted agricultural soils. Practical examples were discussed, including the remediation of former military and industrial sites, the management of pollutant inputs in river floodplains, and innovative approaches such as phytoremediation and environmentally sensitive recultivation of former mining areas. New groups of pollutants such as PFAS (“forever chemicals”) and their relevance for soil and water protection were also addressed.
In return, the Chinese delegation presented recent developments in China’s soil policy. Since the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020), China has implemented comprehensive measures to prevent and control soil pollution. These include national programmes to reduce heavy metal contamination, the remediation of polluted agricultural land, and the establishment of new systems for soil monitoring and soil health management. According to the delegation, the safe utilization rate of contaminated agricultural land in China has now remained stable at over 92%.
Future challenges related to soil health, sustainable land use and biodiversity were also discussed during the exchange. Both sides emphasized the growing importance of scientific cooperation, joint research initiatives and international knowledge platforms in addressing global environmental challenges.
The meeting in Leipzig further strengthened the professional dialogue between German and Chinese institutions in the fields of soil and environmental protection. The event clearly demonstrated that sustainable soil management and the preservation of healthy soils are among the key global challenges for the future.