On October 31, 2024, the annual meeting of the Australia-China Centre for Air Quality Science and Management (ACC-AQSM) was successfully held at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES). The event was jointly organized by the CRAES, Jinan University (JNU), and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia. The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format, combining online and offline participation, and featured over 30 experts and scholars from prestigious institutions, including CRAES, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Shanghai University, JNU, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and QUT in Australia.

At the opening ceremony, Sheng Chen (Vice President of the CRAES), Zhu Tong (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dean of the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Peking University), Fahe Chai (Chief Scientist of the CRAES), Jianmin Chen (Academician of the European Academy and Distinguished Professor at Fudan University) and Shuxia Wang (Professor of School of Environment at Tsinghua University), respectively delivered speeches. They expressed that over the past decade, ACC-AQSM has played a significant role in promoting the improvement of air quality in China, providing crucial support for the practice of air pollution control. As air pollution control deepens, China’s atmospheric environmental issues have become more complex, with the coordinated prevention and control of multiple pollutants entering the “deep water zone,” and the continuous improvement of atmospheric environmental quality remains a formidable task. The launch of Phase II of ACC-AQSM marks the beginning of a new chapter in the partnership between Australia and China. In this new phase, it is hoped that both sides will continue to deepen cooperation, expand the center’s openness, attract more international scientific research forces, and jointly address future challenges. Additionally, Lidia Morawska, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the National Academy of Sciences (USA), and Co-Chair of the ACC-AQSM, reviewed the journey and achievements of ACC-AQSM over the past decade, outlined the current problems and challenges, and looked forward to the future priorities and research directions for both parties. The opening ceremony was presided over by Jian Gao, Vice Director of the Institute of Atmospheric Environment at CRAES.

The group discussion of the annual meeting was chaired by Professor Zoran Ristovski from QUT, Australia. Experts and scholars engaged in discussions around three themes: “Urban and Regional Air Pollution,” “Environment-Climate-Health,” and “Environmental Measurement and Source Tracing,” providing new ideas and methods for addressing atmospheric environmental issues. The panel included Academician Tong Zhu, Academician Lidia Morawska, Academician Jianmin Chen, Professor Tao Wang, Professor Hai Guo, Professor Shuxia Wang, Professor Jingkun Jiang, Professor Mei Zheng, Professor Wei Huang, Professor Xiaoli Duan, Professor Liwu Zhang, Professor Lina Wang, Professor Li Li, Professor Boguang Wang, Professor Hao Wang, Professor Jingnan Hu and Professor Jian Gao.

In conclusion, Academician Tong Zhu and Academician Lidia Morawska provided a summary of the conference and looked ahead to the future. They highly praised the outcomes of the meeting, considering it an important platform for cooperation between Australia and China in the field of air quality science management, and a new impetus for the global cause of atmospheric environmental protection. They expressed that, with the joint efforts of both sides, the ACC-AQSM is bound to achieve even more brilliant accomplishments.

The successful of the annual meeting of the ACC-AQSM signifies that the cooperation between Australia and China in the field of atmospheric environment has reached new heights. This meeting has deepened the consensus on cooperation between the two countries and further clarified the new phase of cooperation mechanisms and future development directions for ACC-AQSM. In the days to come, we believe that the ACC-AQSM will continue to play a significant role in promoting in-depth cooperation between Australia and China in the field of atmospheric environmental protection. At the same time, we also hope that more countries and regions will join the ranks of atmospheric environmental protection to collectively address global environmental challenges.