ACS Cements Ties With Chinese Chemical Society

Xiamen University

Deal sealed Bai (left) and Lane shake hands after signing the collaboration agreement.

The American Chemical Society and the Chinese Chemical Society signed a memorandum of collaboration on June 20 in the latest effort to further strengthen bilateral ties. Both sides agreed to a three-year cooperation alliance starting this year, promising to better serve chemical scientists, engineers, and professionals in the two countries.

An ACS delegation attended the signing ceremony as well as the ensuing CCS biennial meeting in Xiamen, China.

"I am delighted that the extensive exchanges between our two organizations have culminated in this next and very important step," said Thomas Lane, immediate past-president of ACS. "Together we will share our knowledge and experiences to find sustainable solutions to far-reaching societal challenges."

 "I sincerely hope that the signing of this memorandum is a starting point of even stronger collaborations in the near future," said Chunli Bai, president of CCS. He shared Lane's optimism that closer ties between Chinese and American chemists would give both groups a better chance of solving some of the world's most pressing crises.

According to the memo, the ACS and CCS will continue their series of US-Chinese Early Career Chemists Workshops and focus upcoming ones on sustainability issues such as energy, water, and food. Three previous workshops have explored topics in biochemistry, new materials, and supramolecular chemistry; they were jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Chinese National Natural Science Foundation.

The memo also encourages high-level participation in both organizations' national meetings to discuss and refine cooperative activities. In addition, leaders of the two organizations will coauthor an editorial each year in both the Journal of the Chinese Chemical Society and C&EN to provide updates on bilateral collaborations.

ACS and CCS are also working together to help Chinese teachers use the ACS textbook "Chemistry In Context" to further popularize chemistry in China. The societies are coordinating upcoming meetings, including Pacifichem this December. And they are establishing a blueprint for joint contributions to the 2011 International Year of Chemistry, which Bai and Lane called an important opportunity to increase public appreciation of chemistry.

Chemical & Engineering News

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