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A Grand Gathering of TWAS Members in China
The 12th General Conference & 23rd General Meeting of TWAS

At the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS)’s 23rd General Meeting and 12th General Conference held in Tianjin, China, Sep.18-21，2012, His Excellency Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered an opening remark. Hu said that the world was on the eve of a new scientific and technological revolution. The developing countries should depend on science and technology as a crucial driving force for changing their destiny, opening up a promising future and creating a better life for the people. China had set its goal to become an innovative country by 2020. To this end, China would need to greatly enhance its innovation capacity following the Science-based Development Philosophy. As a member of the developing world, China had always attached great importance to cooperation with the other developing countries in the areas of science and technology. More efforts would be made to address the common challenges of the developing world in achieving economic growth, social development and public welfare through the deepening of S&T cooperation. The theme of the Conference was Science and Sustainability, featured by a S&T Ministerial Session, a Forum on National Academies & Open Innovation and a Symposium on S&T Development in China. More than 400 scientists from over 60 countries and regions participated in the General Meeting and Conference. A new TWAS Council was elected, with CAS President Prof. Bai Chunli being the new President of TWAS for the next three years from Jan. 1, 2013. This was the first time that a Chinese scientist had been elected President of TWAS since its inception. At the Meeting, TWAS decided to change name to “The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), for the advancement of science in developing countries”.