Chinese Academy of Sciences Funds Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (RCEECA)

Beginning in 2013, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), through the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), launched a multinational initiative to establish the Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (RCEECA).

The Center serves as a regional platform for scientific cooperation on ecological protection, sustainable resource use, and environmental monitoring in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

RCEECA operates through a “one center, multiple branches” model, with research stations and joint laboratories established in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Each branch is hosted by the respective national academy or government partner.

The Center’s primary goals are: conducting fundamental and applied research on climate change, desertification, soil degradation, and water resource management; developing shared regional databases and remote sensing platforms; establishing early warning systems for natural disasters; and training local scientific talent and enhancing cross-border scientific exchange.

RCEECA also plays a strategic role in supporting China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and was highlighted in high-level visits such as the 2024 inspection by CAS Vice President Zhang Yaping to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

The initiative is regarded as one of CAS’s “Nine Overseas Research Centers”, designed to export Chinese scientific capacity through soft-power diplomacy and regional problem-solving.