Xu Kuangdi, newly elected president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), said Thursday that he planned to set up an academic body for young experts in the near future.

When meeting the press in Beijing Thursday afternoon, Xu said that his fellow CAE academicians were pleased to see the personal development of groups of young scientists and technologists.

"With the joint efforts of both young and senior experts, China could achieve its dream of a manned space mission and landing on the moon in the near future," Xu said.

The 65-year-old former mayor of east China's financial and business metropolis Shanghai was elected as a CAE academician in 1995.

He specializes in metallurgy and gained worldwide fame with six technological achievements and 14 academic papers published in prestigious foreign journals.

He said he hoped the young generation of technologists could create an even brighter future for the country's economic and social development.

Xu vowed to pull out all stops in his new post. "The Chinese Academy of Engineering should give more valuable advice to the state's decision-makers," he said.

While making more room for young experts, he said he would further encourage senior technologists to contribute to the country, especially after its entry into the World Trade Organization last year.

"Chinese technologists and engineers shoulder a heavy responsibility to create more wealth for the country," Xu said.

(People's Daily May 31, 2002)