2026 International Congress of Basic Science opens in Beijing

The 2026 International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS) opened in Beijing on Sunday, drawing more than 1,000 participants, including scientists, researchers and young scholars from both China and abroad.

The opening ceremony was headlined by four Fields Medalists -- Shing-Tung Yau (ICBS Chair), Maxim Kontsevich, Martin Hairer, and Caucher Birkar — alongside Turing Award laureate Robert Tarjan, with nine distinguished scientists receiving the ICBS Medal: Claire Voisin, Horng-Tzer Yau, Shouwu Zhang, Andrea J. Liu, Yifang Wang, Xiao-gang Wen, Zhenan Bao, Xiaowei Zhuang, and Feng Zhang.

They were joined by a broad assembly ranging from over 80 top scientists -- among them recipients of the Shaw Prize, Wolf Prize and Dirac Medal, as well as numerous members of national academies from China, the United States and Europe -- to more than 400 globally renowned scholars, and over 800 researchers and young students from universities and institutions across more than 30 countries, all gathering at Yanqi Lake for this flagship global event in basic science.

The highly anticipated award ceremony honored the nine outstanding scientists with the ICBS Medal, which recognizes groundbreaking and revolutionary achievements in basic science worldwide and celebrates their extraordinary contributions to scientific progress.

During the ceremony, student representatives from top Chinese middle schools presented hand-painted portraits of scientists. Created over months of meticulous work, the paintings convey teenagers’ profound admiration for scientists and the spirit of science, embodying the inheritance and continuity of scientific pursuit across generations.

Under the theme "Advancing Basic Science for Humanity," the two-week event will host over 500 academic sessions covering all branches and interdisciplinary directions of basic science, along with frontier topics such as generative large-model reasoning, computer vision, human-computer interaction and quantum information.

A diverse range of events will also be held during the congress, including high-level academic dialogues, youth engagement activities, and cultural and scientific exchange programs.

The high-level academic dialogues will feature "Mathematics Night," "Physics Night," and "Engineering Night," bringing together Fields Medal and Turing Award recipients to discuss frontier trends.

The newly launched Women Scientists Forum will invite outstanding female researchers to share their career experiences and discuss opportunities and challenges in scientific research, aiming to inspire more female scholars to scale new heights in science.

The congress will also host a Basic Science and AI Forum for in-depth discussions on core bottlenecks and future breakthrough paths in AI theory, as well as industry trends.

In addition, the event will feature "Tsinghua Day," which will invite world-leading mathematicians and physicists to Tsinghua University for dialogues with young students, encouraging them to engage in basic science and explore the unknown.

An academic poster exhibition is also scheduled for college and high school students to showcase their innovative research outcomes.

During the congress, an "Explore Huairou" tour will be held to invite global experts to visit Huairou Science City, the International Conference Resort, the Mutianyu Great Wall, the Great Wall International Animation Valley and Doctor's Farm.

The tour will offer international scholars a firsthand look at the innovation vitality and research ecosystem of the comprehensive national science center, as well as the ecological charm and cultural heritage of Huairou.

It will also demonstrate how science and technology are empowering rural revitalization, showcasing Huairou's achievements and high-quality development as a world-class strategic science and technology integration demonstration zone.

This year marks the fourth year of the ICBS being held in Beijing. It is co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Government, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the China Association for Science and Technology, and the International Consortium of Chinese Mathematicians.

2026 International Congress of Basic Science opens in Beijing

In 10 days, Canada will face sweeping U.S. tariffs of up to 50 percent on key imports, a move announced by President Donald Trump on July 20 under Section 338 of the U.S. Tariff Act.

The new policy targets most Canadian imports, including wines and auto parts, worth around 20 billion dollars. There will be no exceptions for goods covered by an existing trade pact, the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Analysts warn the tariffs will intensify cost pressures already squeezing households. For some, the strain has become personal. One Canadian truck driver described how rising prices forced him to move into his vehicle to cut debt.

"The prices of everything are sky high for no reason. It's the same product but everything has doubled or tripled in price. I had to move out of my apartment after seven years. I just moved out five days ago so I can get my debt level down. I am living in my truck now," said a Canadian driver.

Companies across Canada also report mounting pressure. Tess Patterson, a wine club manager, said businesses are struggling to shield customers from higher costs.

"We really don't want to pass that cost to our consumers. However, you know, as time goes by, that does slowly increase. So, therefore, it makes very hard for our consumers to basically purchase and get their hands on and that's not what we want to see," said Patterson.

Canada faces potential 50 percent tariffs from US