Foreign experts praise scientific collaboration

China's achievements in technological innovation have not only attracted global attention but also played a significant role in fostering international collaboration among scientists, foreign experts say.

"Science benefits humanity and requires communication and collaboration among nations, a role the China Association for Science and Technology has historically played," Elies Molins, co-chair of the World Federation of Scientific Workers, said during the federation's 96th executive council meeting in Beijing this week.

Established in 1946, the federation aims to strengthen solidarity and cooperation among scientists from various countries to promote scientific development.

"China was among the founding members of the federation," said Molins, who is also a professor at the Barcelona Materials Research Institute in Spain. "During challenging times when global scientific communication was limited, such as the Cold War, Chinese scientists made significant contributions to fostering communication among scientists worldwide."

The federation was the first international organization that CAST joined. Since then, CAST and its affiliated national societies have participated in 875 international science and technology organizations and now organize nearly 800 international academic conferences in China each year, according to CAST.

Chinese scientists have held various positions within the federation. In May 2022, Zhao Zhongxian, an honorary member of CAST, was elected vice-president of the federation, and CAST members Xue Lan and Han Xiqiu were elected to its executive council.

Representatives from 31 delegations from nine countries attended the executive council meeting in Beijing.

He Junke, the secretary of CAST's Party group, said the executive committee meeting coincided with the 60th anniversary of the first large international academic conference held in China.

"CAST is willing to further strengthen its ties with the WFSW, promote trust and openness in the international scientific community, and engage in practical cooperation in initiating international scientific programs and promoting the development of young and female scientists," said He, who is also vice-president and first secretary of CAST's secretariat.

Pascal Janots, representing the French federation of scientific workers, highlighted the frequent collaborative industrial and academic exchanges between China and France, which many Chinese delegations and students have participated in.

"However, some Western countries, including France, have not fully recognized China's remarkable achievements and potential in technological innovation in recent years," Janots said.

He cited China's Chang'e 6 lunar probe mission in June, when soil samples were collected from the moon and returned safely, as an example of a significant achievement that received little attention in French mainstream media.

"The disregard for China's technological achievements by Western countries is essentially a bias in ideology toward developing countries," Janots said. "As a federation of scientific workers, our goal is to eliminate such barriers as much as possible."

Malick Fall, the federation's vice-president, who is from Senegal, said that while China has made significant strides in collaborating with Western countries in science and technology, its engagement with Africa remains limited.

"African countries have a strong demand for sci-tech cooperation, and China possesses robust research capabilities, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence and renewable energy, placing it at a world-class level," said Fall, who also serves as deputy chairman of the World Food Leaders Conference for Africa. "Africa offers vast opportunities for collaborative research that benefits both sides."

Fall said that over the past two years, the African Union has focused on establishing a research fund to enhance Africa's research and innovation capabilities.

"As we approach the upcoming China-Africa Forum, we hope for communication in this regard between the Chinese government and the African Union," he said. "We look forward to China prioritizing research cooperation with African countries."