China hosting ICM 2030 would inspire world-class math students: renowned mathematician

China's hosting of the 2030 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM 2030), the world's largest mathematics conference, will help encourage more young students across the country devote themselves to the mathematics field, according to Shing-Tung Yau, a former prize winner at the prestigious event

Yau, who won the event's coveted Fields medal back in 1982, is now helping lead China's bid to host the ICM in 2030, aiming to inspire young students to take the lead in global math research.

In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Yau, who is also a professor at China's acclaimed Tsinghua University, said that he has seen the country's efforts in cultivating talent paying off, as there has been a rise in world-class math students from China.

"China has trained their students far better now than before. We have almost, I would say, the world's best high school students and undergraduate students in mathematics. And they are able to study within China themselves. So a major event like ICM happening in China, especially in Beijing city, it will be great encouragement for them to develop their own way to learn how mathematicians should behave in China," he said.

China faces competition from both Japan and the UK who are also bidding to host the grand event. However, Yau is quite confident that his team will win the right to host the ICM competition.

With China seeking to pull out all the stops on developing homegrown talent, Yau also noted that many Chinese students have a passion for math, while the country has been investing more in basic science.

"We have about, each year, 3,000 young talents, I mentioned, these 12-year-old students all over the country. There are 3,000 young students of that age who show strong interest to come into mathematics. So after five years we are talking a large number of good students. So these are one of the major differences between us and England or Japan. And beyond that, the country is getting richer in investing into basic science," he said.

China hosting ICM 2030 would inspire world-class math students: renowned mathematician

China closed 2025 with a record of 92 space launches and major breakthroughs were made in manned space launches, deep space exploration and commercial launches, according to the China National Space Administration.

"In 2025, we created a new launch record, sending more than 300 satellites into planned orbits. Both the number of launches and the number of payloads placed in orbit have achieved qualitative leapfrog development," said Zhu Haiyang, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

In 2025, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest single mission duration in the history of China's manned space program. Following the Shenzhou-20, the Shenzhou-21 achieved the fastest rendezvous and docking in the history of the Shenzhou mission in just three hours and a half.

Facing an unexpected technical situation with the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, China immediately activated emergency plans. Within 16 days, a series of maneuvers were accomplished including the launch of the Shenzhou-22 backup vehicle, presenting a "textbook model" for the international space community in effectively responding to unexpected emergencies.

In deep space exploration, the Tianwen-2 probe embarked on its journey for China's first asteroid exploration and sample-return mission in 2025.

Last year also saw intensive launch activities from multiple commercial rocket types, injecting strong momentum into the country's commercial space development.

As China has kicked off the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), a new blueprint for the country's space program is unfolding. Multiple tests are planned in preparation for future lunar exploration, as Chang'e-7 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched for the lunar south pole to search for evidence of water ice. The industry is also preparing for the maiden flights of several new rocket types, which will include the challenges to test rocket recovery and reusability technologies.

China closes 2025 with record 92 space launches

China closes 2025 with record 92 space launches