The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by BirdLife’s Chief Executive Dr Marco Lambertini, and Professor Liu Naifa, President of the COS and witnessed by Our chairman, Mr. Apache Lau and 500 ornithologists at the Opening Ceremony of the 12th Congress of COS, convened in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China on 8th November, 2013. The beginning of a new era in formal cooperation between BirdLife International and China has begun with the signing of a MoU between the BirdLife International Partnership and the China Ornithological Society (COS).