The closing ceremony of the 23rd annual meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) was held at the Beijing Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center on July 28. 

Huai Jinpeng, secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group and executive vice-president and chief executive secretary of the Secretariat of CAST, delivers a speech at the closing ceremony of the 23rd CAST annual meeting on July 28.

In his speech at the ceremony, Huai Jipeng, secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group, executive vice-president and chief executive secretary of the Secretariat of CAST, spoke highly of the meeting for uniting scientific and technological workers and facilitating openness, trust and cooperation. 

He said the annual meeting embodied the principles of self-reliance, innovative development, mutual benefit, open innovation and increasing strength. 

Huai pointed out that sci-tech circles should carry forward the scientific spirit and fine academic atmosphere, stick to the fine traditions of innovation and confidence, strengthen the construction of scientific and technological community and build a community of shared future for mankind.

Experts and scholars attend the closing ceremony of the 23rd CAST annual meeting on July 28.

At the closing event, CAST published a list of top 30 scientific, engineering and technological problems that are crucial to scientific development and industrial innovation. Since 2018, CAST has solicited and released 100 cutting-edge scientific issues and engineering problems, suggesting that they be incorporated into national science and technology programs. 

A group photo of representatives of awarded institutions at the closing ceremony of the 23rd CAST annual meeting on July 28.

CAST also awarded the Biophysical Society of China and 42 other national societies which had participated in the selection of major issues and problems for four consecutive years the title of “excellent organizational institution 2018-2021”. 

Twenty-six national societies including the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, which had recommended topics that were included in the 30 major issues and problems in 2021, were awarded the tile of “outstanding recommendation institution 2021”. 

The China Zoological Society, the China Society of Plant Protection and the China Association of Chinese Medicine which had organized the writing of the proposal report on major issues and problems in 2020 and received instructions of the central leadership were awarded the title of “outstanding achievement institution 2020”.

During the presentation section, Chen Yunji, deputy director and researcher of the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Liu Zihong, founder, chairman and CEO of Royole Corp, Sun Zhenlian, model director of the Long March 5 series rocket launching support system and senior engineer of the 15th Research Institute of the first Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, gave keynote speeches on “deep learning processors”, “the innovation process of flexible electronics” and “keep the motherland in mind and stay devoted to space exploration”. 

The CAST annual meeting flag handover ceremony during the closing ceremony of the 23rd CAST annual meeting on July 28

After the presentations, Xu Yanhao, deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group of CAST, who presided over the closing event, announced that the 24th annual meeting would be held in Hunan. The CAST annual meeting flag was then handed over to Hunan representatives by their Beijing predecessors.

Jin Wei, vice-mayor of Beijing and Chen Fei, vice-governor of Hunan province, attended the ceremony. 

The event was also joined by the leadership of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Secretariat of CAST, academicians, experts, entrepreneurs, scientific and technological workers, and journalists. 

The 23th CAST annual meeting attracted more than 4,900 experts and scholars from home and abroad to participate in its online and offline interactions. Viewers of the opening ceremony online live broadcast numbered 30 million.