Distinguished guests, friends from the scientific community, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning! First of all, on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations on the successful opening of the 1st World Science and Technology Development Forum. Today I’m very glad to gather here with distinguished friends from the global scientific community to explore technological innovation and seek cooperation and development.

In today’s world, with the in-depth development of economic globalization and social informatisation, technology innovation has become a pivotal indicator for reshaping global landscape and creating mankind’s future. Many fundamental frontier fields serve as the breeding grounds for new major breakthroughs. Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and gene editing are also rapidly advancing, constantly developing disruptive technologies and products, which could fundamentally change the current technology paths, product forms and business patterns. Forming a new landscape featuring deep integration, advantage complementarity, cooperation and win-win results by enhancing international technology cooperation and promoting the complete flow and optimized distribution of various innovative factors in the world could facilitate the new round of technology revolution and industry transformation.

While technology is rapidly advancing, we are still faced with a string of risks of challenges, including global climate change, shortage in both energy and resources, grain and food security, Internet information safety, biological environment pollution, major natural disasters, contagious diseases and poverty. These risks and challenges concern our precious planet of Earth and concern the wellbeing of mankind. No country could bear responsibility and seek solutions single-handedly in coping with these highly complicated and uncertain risks and challenges. All countries should establish a closer cooperation mechanisms, which requires the joint efforts of all countries’ scientific communities.

Currently, China is further implementing the innovation-driven development strategies to expedite the economic transition to high quality development and to explore a new development path of green and low carbon, coordination, efficiency and mutual benefits shared by all tailored to China’s national conditions and steered by technological innovation. The Chinese Academy of Sciences, as a national science and research institute, sets priority on the forward-looking, global leading and disruptive innovation, enhances capacity in original innovation and in core technology breakthroughs so that we can provide more technology outputs in both quantity and quality for the economic and social development.

We always uphold an open and cooperative mindset to integrate ourselves into the international technology and innovation web and to deepen the global science and technology communication and cooperation in an all-round and in-depth way. Over the 70 years of the institute’s founding, the Chinese Academy of Science has long been the advocate for and practitioner of global cooperation. We have established strategic cooperation relationships with more than 90 scientific research institutes and universities in 45 countries, thus building a web system of synergy and innovation in Asia Pacific, Asia Europe and Asia Africa regions, building an efficient and pragmatic research cooperation platform and promoting the full opening up and mutual sharing of scientific research and technology resources. We have participated in various international big science research plans including human genome sequencing, ITER and SKA, initiated various international big science research plans and projects, and made relentless efforts to contribute China’s innovation and wisdom in scientific breakthroughs and development.

Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, we have actively advocated the Alliance of International Science Organizations in the Belt and Road Region, which has been actively responded by more than 40 national and regional science and education institutes and relevant international organizations.Last year, under the joint support, the alliance has officially been formed with the purpose of stepping up the science and technology cooperation in the Belt and Road countries and regions. We established 11 overseas science and education centers to deeply integrate relevant countries’ needs and characteristics and launch substantive technology cooperation. By laying emphasis on ecological environment and biodiversity protection, natural disasters, and translating technology results to reality, we aim to provide better technology support for improving local people’s lives, protecting ecological environment and facilitating economic development.

Through setting up CAS-TWAS Dean Scholarship Program and The Belt and Road Mater Fellowship Program, we help cultivated nearly 5,000 high-level science and technology talents for relevant countries and regions, including more than 1,500 scientists and engineering master and doctor graduates.

Regarding the major risks and challenges faced by the world, we have deployed a batch of important science and technology programs of pan-third pole environment changes, atmospheric circulation of the western Pacific region, regional biodiversity, clean energy and haze control. We have also initiated some international big science plans of the third pole and big earth data with the hope that we could unite all scientific communities to promote key technology breakthroughs. We have also run a P4 biosafety laboratory, which is of the highest level, set more than 200 field experimental stations and fully participate in relevant global experiment web construction. These science and research platforms are open to the global society and we welcome everyone to make full use of this platform by launching joint high-level research.

Distinguished guests, dear friends! China’s development hinges on global development and vice versa. The Chinese Academy of Science will keep upholding the philosophies of equality, mutual benefits, inclusiveness, mutual trust, and opening up, keep promoting complete, high-level, in-depth and pragmatic science and technology cooperation and make new contributions to mankind’s social civilization progress and science and technology development.

At last, I would like to wish a complete success of the 1st World Science and Technology Development Forum. Thank you!