China-CEEC sci-tech exchange event fosters future-focused collaboration

Researchers from across Europe and China have gathered in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, to share insights and imagine the future of global cooperation at the 2025 China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Young Science and Technology Talents Exchange.

At the event, Georgi Chankov Georgiev, a professor and Director of the Europe-China Scientific Research Center, highlighted the positive impact of academic exchanges, especially that between European universities and China.

"At academic level, it proceeds smoothly, I would say smoothly. There are a lot of opportunities for academic exchange, joint articles, joint master progress and joint doctoral studies. I try to achieve academical level. The understanding between scholars is much better, much easier. So far I see interest in them in the joint article, scientific articles in joint publications also, if they're successful in joint doctoral program in the near future," he said.

From materials science to microchips, collaboration helps bridge the gap between research and real-world solutions, and platforms like this one are key to keeping that dialog going, he said.

Andrei Radulescu, senior macroeconomist at the Institute for World Economy of the Romanian Academy, stressed that scientific and technology exchange between China and Central and Eastern European countries can help strengthen international economic ties.

"Nowadays, technologies like food, they are universal languages, so in order to intensify relations, economic relations and diplomatic relations all over the world, you need the first of all to start to eat. Food and technology need multilateral rims to be promoted in all the countries in the world, and technology can help to promote a better relations, economic relations among countries and a better future for the world economy," he said.

With global challenges demanding global thinking, initiatives like this exchange serve not only national agendas, but shared futures, he said.

"So we need this kind of top forums in order to bring people, to have people-to-people exchange, to have exchange in terms of research, to have exchange in terms of prospects for the future, in order to build a new world, a better world," said Radulescu.

China-CEEC sci-tech exchange event fosters future-focused collaboration

The 2026 Beijing Book Fair opened on Thursday amid China's endeavor to promote public reading.

The book fair is set at the China International Exhibition Center in Chaoyang District, covering an area of ​​50,000 square meters and presenting more than 400,000 titles with over 2,700 booths.

A new regulation the country just rolled out, which will take effect on Feb. 1, aims to raise the intellectual, moral, scientific, and cultural standards of the Chinese people and enhance overall social civility, contributing to China's efforts to build itself into a country with a strong socialist culture.

Major publishing groups and institutions are also seizing this opportunity to align with the implementation of national policies and regulations to gain a competitive edge in the industry.

"In planning our publishing strategy for 2026, the regulation to promote public reading is a great boon to our book industry. We will deepen our presence in the market of Chinese language and writing reference books, and further our efforts to integrate digital and intelligent technologies to empower the publishing industry following the concept of building an independent Chinese knowledge system," said Gu Qing, Party secretary of the Commercial Press.

Publishers pledge that they will leverage their strengths in serving economic growth hotspots and turn out more high-quality books in alignment with national strategies.

"We should leverage the current booming industries in the economic development, and the rich audio-video and film resources, to create and public good books in formats to the liking of the people," said Zhu Yanbo, head of marketing department of China Radio and Television Publishing House.

"Like the trilogy of Conscience Challenge (an anti-corruption novel) we published, the sales volume of its first print was over a million copies, and the reprint has now sold over 200,000 copies. How to make books closer to life and people is something our publishing industry should focus on," said Liu Haitao, Party secretary of China Democracy Legal System Publishing House.

2026 Beijing Book Fair opens