Huzhou, China, 16 August 2026 — The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), together with the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia, officially launched the Joint Research Center for Sustainable Development of China–ASEAN Countries (CARS) in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. AIT President, Professor Pai-Chi Li, Dean and Faculty members of FCEE, Dr. Ekbordin Winijkul, Prof. Thammarat Koottatep, Dr. Wenchao Xue participated in the event.
As one of the three founding institutions and co-leading partners of CARS, AIT will play a key role in advancing the Center’s regional collaboration and implementation. AIT will also host the CARS Secretariat, serving as a coordination hub to facilitate communication, network development, and joint activities among partners in China and ASEAN countries.
The launch was held as a parallel forum of the 2026 Green Low-Carbon Innovation Conference, marking an important milestone towards establishing a long-term institutional mechanism for China–ASEAN scientific and technological cooperation in environmental sustainability and sustainable development.
The ceremony was moderated by Professor Hang Xu, Deputy Director of RCEES. In his opening remarks, Academician Yongguan Zhu, Director of RCEES, emphasized that deeper scientific and technological cooperation is essential for advancing regional ecological and environmental governance and accelerating the green and low-carbon transition. He highlighted CARS as not only a multilateral joint research platform but also a regional public science and technology initiative. With One Health as a key area of common interest, the Center will seek to connect joint research, technological innovation, knowledge transfer, and talent development, translating scientific advances into tangible benefits for environmental quality and human well-being across the region.
During the ceremony, Professor Pai-Chi Li, joined Research Professor Chengzhi Hu, Deputy Director of RCEES, and Professor Bok-Min Goi, Vice President of UTAR, in signing the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of the Joint Research Center for Sustainable Development of China–ASEAN Countries on behalf of their respective institutions, formally establishing CARS.
The CARS Development Roadmap was also released during the event, outlining strategic priorities and actions for the next five years. A Governing Council was established to provide strategic direction and shared leadership for the Center, with Academician Yongguan Zhu, Director of RCEES, serving as Chair, and Professor Pai-Chi Li, President of AIT, and Professor Hong-Tat Ewe, President of UTAR, serving as Vice Chairs.
AIT’s role in CARS reflects its longstanding mission as an international institution connecting countries, disciplines, and partners across Asia. With its extensive academic and institutional networks in Southeast Asia, AIT is well positioned to help bridge scientific and technological expertise from China with the sustainable development priorities, local knowledge, and practical needs of ASEAN countries.
AIT also contributed its scientific expertise to the academic forum accompanying the launch. Dr. Ekbordin Winijkul, Dean of AIT’s Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, delivered an invited presentation alongside Research Professor Keqing Xiao of RCEES and Professor Choon-Aun Ng of UTAR. Under the overarching theme of One Health, the forum addressed environmental biological pollution and risk prevention, digital innovation and regional cooperation, and green water treatment technologies, helping identify priority areas for future CARS collaboration.
The establishment of CARS marks an important step toward more structured and sustained scientific cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in environmental protection and sustainable development. As a founding and co-leading institution as well as the host of the CARS Secretariat, AIT will work with RCEES-CAS, UTAR, and regional partners to strengthen scientific collaboration, develop regional capacity, and translate research and innovation into practical solutions for a greener, healthier, and more sustainable region.
