CAST Newsletter No.62

CAST International Month 2025 concludes with fresh momentum for global science and people-to-people exchange

On November 26, CAST held a press briefing in Beijing to review the outcomes of International Month 2025. Launched in October, this inaugural month-long initiative dedicated to science and people-to-people exchange carried the theme “S.T.I. Bridges, Humanity Orients.” The program aims to foster an international scientific community and promote joint action in addressing global development challenges.

International Month 2025 unfolded across four major sections. The first featured four flagship conferences on science diplomacy, including the World Science and Technology Development Forum. The second centered on dialogues focused on science driving future development, like the World Materials Conference. The third section, People-to-People Exchange on Openness, Trust, and Cooperation, brought together fifteen events, including the Chinese-Russian Science and Technology Translation Contest. The fourth showcased cooperation, innovation, and mutual learning among civilizations through twenty-one activities, such as the China-ASEAN Young Scientists Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence. Together, these events engaged more than 20,000 participants across science, education, and industry, creating a cross-border, cross-disciplinary, and cross-cultural platform for dialogue and cooperation.

Demonstrating a commitment to genuine multi-lateralism, International Month 2025 attracted more than 20,000 representatives from over 110 countries and regions, including more than 3,000 international guests. Over twenty international and national science organizations—among them the International Science Council and the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations—collaborated in hosting events. In addition, ten international organizations established in China, including the International Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association, convened another twenty activities.

Bilateral exchange was also significantly strengthened. Thirteen bilateral events were held over the course of the month, including the US-China Green Energy Forum, the Sino-UK Zero Emission Vehicle Cooperation and Development Forum, the Sino-German Forum on Development of NEV Industry, the China-Russia Engineering Technology Forum, the China-South Africa Young Scientists Roundtable Discussion, and engineering capaci- ty-building programs for Egypt and Thailand.

Guided by shared aspirations for a future shaped by science, industry, sustainability, and global benefit, International Month 2025 presented more than fifty conferences across strategic emerging industries, advanced manufacturing, digital communication, energy and materials, ecology, and space science. The program released nine consensus documents and rankings, including the Hangzhou Declaration on Modeling and Simulation Shaping the Digital World and the Digital Earth Initiative for the Sustainable Development Goals. It also delivered over sixty technical achievements, such as a series of standards on the reliability and safety of complex systems, along with more than ten new organizations, platforms, and cooperation initiatives, and over thirty bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements. Together, these outcomes underscored the expansive opportunities for collaboration between China and the global scientific community.

On October 24, 2025, a series of commemorative events marking the anniversary of Liu Hui’s birth, titled “Rhythm of Numbers Across Millennia · Dialogue with the World,” opened in Seoul, South Korea. Hosted by CAST, the program explored the theme “Algorithmic Thinking and the Shared Heritage of East Asia—From The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art to Modern Algorithms.” Through a thematic exhibition, an academic exchange session, and a dialogue on civilizations, the events showcased the extraordinary achievements of ancient Chinese mathematician Liu Hui and his lasting influence on mathematical development across East Asia.

Emphasizing light-weight design, artistic expression, and modular presentation, the exhibition illustrated Liu Hui’s pioneering work—including his calculation of pi and the double-difference method—through document reproductions, visual reconstructions, and interactive multimedia. It also highlighted the enduring impact of the algorithmic system found in The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art on mathematics education throughout East Asia.

During the academic exchange session, scholars from China and South Korea held in-depth discussions on Liu Hui’s mathematical philosophy and its historical significance. The roundtable titled “Algorithmic Thinking and the Shared Cultural Heritage of East Asia” brought together experts from the economic, cultural, and educational sectors of both countries to examine the contemporary value of Liu Hui’s ideas and practical pathways for mutual learning in scientific culture and educational cooperation.

In November 2023, the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference approved the Liu Hui commemorative program recommended by CAST and designated 2024-2025 as the 1800th anniversary of Liu Hui’s birth. This marks China’s first UNESCO-endorsed anniversary celebration centered on a scientist. In addition to China and South Korea, commemorative events have also been held in Italy, Azerbaijan, and other countries.

For detailed information, please click here to download CAST Newsletter No. 62.