The China Association for Science and Technology has issued a guideline for holding international science and technology conferences this year, featuring 55 topics on sustainable development, frontier sciences, innovations and the governance of advanced technologies.

These topics include food security, clean energy, advanced materials, basic science and artificial intelligence. China will also host the 2023 World Conference on Science Literacy from Sept 18 to 19.

Mu Rongping, director of the Center for Innovation and Development of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said international scientific conferences are platforms for promoting academic exchanges and cooperation, allowing scientists to build consensus, share ideas and tackle common issues.

The guideline serves as a reference for scientists and policymakers to probe the latest trends and emerging topics in science and technology, he said.

He Wei, deputy director general of the Department of International Affairs of the China Association for Science and Technology, said one of the key roles of CAST is to facilitate academic exchanges and cooperation.

International conferences are platforms for sharing the latest ideas and academic achievements, building mutual trust and collaboration in the global scientific community, and contributing to the global governance of science and technology, she said.