The European special event of the 2026 World Young Scientists Summit was held in Brussels

China News Service, Brussels, October 19 (Reporter Toku Yongjian) The 2026 World Young Scientists Summit Europe and the first China-EU Young Scientists Exchange Event were held in Brussels on the 16th. In-depth discussions were held around topics such as science diplomacy, artificial intelligence, and China-EU scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation.

The event attracted more than 180 people from more than 20 countries including China, the United States, Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, including school-level or college-level leaders from more than 20 universities, and more than 140 young scholars, business and investment circles, etc.

During the keynote speech, Cai Run, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, said that China attaches great importance to the cultivation of young scientific and technological talents and international exchanges, and is willing to further expand the scale and coverage of exchanges of young scientific and technological talents between China and Europe. It is expected that young scientists will actively promote open cooperation and jointly address global challenges such as climate change, energy transition, and artificial intelligence governance.

Zhang Guangjun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, said in a video speech that China-EU scientific and technological cooperation has a profound foundation and youth exchanges are an important link. China will actively implement the China-EU Young Scientists Exchange Program, invite young European scientists to come to China for exchanges, and work with Chinese scientists to conduct joint research on major scientific issues and global challenges.

Joe Lenen, former head of the European Parliament’s delegation on relations with China, said that the EU and China are both important global forces, and cooperation between the two parties is not only related to their own interests, but also helps achieve global public goals such as climate protection, biodiversity protection, disease prevention and control, and cyberspace governance. Exchanges and cooperation between young scientists between Europe and China have broad prospects and should be continuously promoted in the next few years.

Song Zhiwei, the organizer of the event and president of the China-Europe Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association, expressed the hope that young scientists from China and Europe will establish connections through the European special event, initiate innovative projects, and work together to promote the implementation of grand visions and address global problems such as climate change and artificial intelligence governance.

During the special reports and roundtable dialogues, participants discussed science diplomacy, women’s leadership in science and technology, exchanges and cooperation between China and Europe young scientists, etc. 10 Chinese and European young scientists also held a dialogue on the theme of artificial intelligence and signed the "China-EU Young Scientists Brussels Initiative".

The World Young Scientists Summit is co-sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology, the People's Government of Zhejiang Province, and the World Federation of Young Scientists. It focuses on the theme of "bringing together talents from all over the world to create a better future". It has been held in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province since 2019. In 2022, the summit "landed" in Europe and began to hold special European events in Brussels. (over)