The League of Tropical Universities will host its 2025 summit in Haikou, Hainan province, from April 13 to 16, gathering international representatives to discuss the future of higher education in tropical areas.The forum will be centered on dialogue and common benefits and include forums on global digital education, tropical high-efficiency agriculture, overall health, cultural exchange and green growth. Participants are government officials, diplomats and representatives of the LTU members, UNESCO and the ASEAN-China Centre.
The highlight of the summit will be key announcements such as the LTU White Paper, a series of tech transfer projects and new scholarship schemes for foreign students. An international summer school and a youth cultural exchange program will also make their debut alongside the founding of an institute for the study of civilizations and mutual learning in China.
"To meet the needs to address such global challenges as climate change in tropical areas and food security, the league will encourage cross-disciplinary and cross-border collaborative research and integrate multidisciplinary expertise to share research outcomes, speed up technology transfer and application, and propel the deep integration of industry, academia and research", a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Hainan University, Luo Qingming, said at a press conference in Haikou.
As the first rotating chair and permanent secretariat, Hainan University has inked 34 agreements with 27 member institutions to foster globally competitive professionals and promote agricultural modernization through technology transfer.
As part of efforts to tackle urgent sustainable development issues in the tropics, the LTU was initiated in November 2023, uniting 101 institutions from 41 countries and regions such as Egypt, Malaysia and Brazil. The coalition will enhance unity among members for education, research and cultural exchange to facilitate socioeconomic development in tropical areas.
The tropics, covering 109 countries and territories, cover 39.8 percent of the Earth's land area, are home to 3.37 billion people, contain 54 percent of renewable water resources, and sustain 80 percent of global biodiversity, as per a 2022 UN report. The LTU is poised to leverage this potential, converting distinctive regional assets into sustainable development.
