The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) reinforced the international academic exchanges in 2001, in a bid to upgrade its research level as well as build up a worldwide reputation.

At the annual work conference which started Monday, CASS vice president Wang Luolin said that his academy organized 1,090 overseas visits and received 2,519 arrivals from overseas counterparts.

CASS president Li Tieying led a delegation to visit six European and Asian countries last year, resulting in signing five cooperation agreements with those countries. Some CASS vice presidents led groups to visit the Czech Republic, Russia, Japan, the United States and Canada, deepening friendly relations with social science circles in those countries.

In the past year, CASS organized the 91st executive committee meeting of the International Social Science Council and another series of international academic symposia.

(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2002)