CEECSTE Officially Approved to Establish Representative Office in China

From December 29 to 31, 2024, the “Seminar on Establishing Representative Offices for Overseas Chinese Science and Technology Associations” was successfully held in Tianjin under the theme “Welcoming the New Year, Discussing the Future, and Promoting Cooperation.” Leaders from over ten overseas Chinese S&T associations, including the China-CEEC Science and Technology Exchange Association (CEECSTE), attended the event.

The seminar was co-hosted by the China Centre for International Science and Technology Exchange (CISTE), Tianjin Association for Science and Technology, Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, TEDA Administrative Commission, and the Innovation and Development Bureau of the China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone. It was organized by the Northern Talent Market and the National Offshore Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base for Overseas Talents (Tianjin Binhai New Area).

During the event, participants visited the Tiankai Higher Education Science and Innovation Park and startups founded by returnee talents, and engaged in discussion and exchange sessions. On the morning of December 31, Dr. Jiao Chao, President of CEECSTE, delivered a keynote speech titled “How to Maximize the Role of Representative Offices and Further Engage Overseas Talents in Serving the Nation,” which sparked in-depth discussion among attendees.

At the seminar, CEECSTE was among the first five overseas Chinese S&T associations to receive official registration certificates for establishing representative offices in China, marking a new stage in the association’s development. The representative office will serve as a permanent base in China, facilitating integration into the domestic S&T ecosystem, supporting joint R&D efforts, improving the efficiency of overseas talent recruitment, and contributing to technological advancement and industrial upgrading in Tianjin and beyond.

With strong support and guidance from the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), Tianjin is actively developing a cluster zone for representative offices within the National Offshore Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base. This initiative aims to pool high-quality resources, innovate policy mechanisms, and streamline service processes, providing a supportive environment for overseas Chinese S&T associations. It will further promote international academic exchange, technological cooperation, talent aggregation, and enterprise incubation, injecting new momentum into the development of Tianjin and China, and forging a shared vision for future collaboration with overseas associations.