China's Top Engineers' Group and Tech Giant Unveil Rio Hub

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 22—Joining hands with the State Grid Brazil Holding S.A., the Chinese Society of Engineers (CSE) affiliated with the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) plans to open its first overseas engineering-capacity hub in Brazil, the latest sign that the CAST, as the nation’s largest sci-tech organization, is making efforts to translate its strength of large-scale domestic infrastructure into soft power on the other side of the Pacific.

The CSE and State Grid Brazil Holding S.A. signed a memorandum on Monday to create the center for engineering capacity building of outstanding engineers in Rio de Janeiro, according to a statement released late on Monday.

The center is expected to train Brazilian and Chinese engineers side-by-side, promote Chinese technical standards and feed expertise into State Grid’s 2,500-kilometre Belo Monte ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission line and a second UHV project under construction in Brazil’s north-east.

Under the initiative, a first cohort of young Brazilian engineers will travel to China this year for a sustainability and smart-grid boot camp, while joint field training in Brazil will begin early later on, organizers said.

The new center gives a channel to nurture a generation of Brazilian engineers familiar with Chinese equipment and standards. This is about sharing China’s engineering experience and solving real-world problems together, adding momentum to the globalization of Chinese engineering solutions.

(With input of the official website of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council)

Tags: Department of International Affairs of CAST, CAST Center for Professional Training and Services, CSE Secretariat