Professor Neil Shubin of the University of Chicago, the newly elected president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, visited Beijing on October 8–9, 2026 — his first trip to China as NAS president.
On October 8, Shubin was received by Jianguo Hou, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The two academy presidents discussed advancing exchange and cooperation: Hou reviewed the academies' long-standing collaboration in academic exchanges and young-talent development and expressed hope for deeper cooperation in service of global sustainable development, while Shubin called CAS an important NAS partner and looked to continued dialogue and personnel exchange in areas of common concern.
Shubin also met with CAS Vice President Hongping He and Fellow Zhonghe Zhou, and delivered a special academic lecture at the CAS Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), drawing experts and students from CAS institutes, Peking University, and China University of Geosciences (Beijing).
On the morning of October 9, Shubin joined a small breakfast with leaders of U.S.-affiliated academic and research institutions in Beijing. Conversation centered on sustaining Sino-U.S. scientific exchange under current geopolitical dynamics — avenues for cooperation, existing barriers, and what the future may hold, viewed from different perspectives.
Zening Ge, Executive Director of the UChicago Center in Beijing, attended the breakfast and judged the trip to have achieved its purpose as an initial courtesy visit by the new NAS president.
