Towards a sustainable partnership between ACS & FACS: What's next?

Abstract

© 2015 American Chemical Society.Today, the Chinese economy (GDP US$9 trillions) is bigger than those of Germany ($3.6 t), France ($2.7 t) & UK ($2.4 t) put together. The combined economies of China, Japan ($5.1) and India ($2.0) are matching that of the USA ($16.2). By 2018, the Chinese economy alone is expected to reach 70% of the U.S. economy. The accelerating growth of Asian economies has brought along immense opportunities not only in business but also in research collaboration, adoption of new technologies, and education exchanges. The emergence of Asia has presented exciting prospects in the chemical sciences â€" from education to technology, from environment to energy, from health to business. How do we grow the partnership between ACS and FACS (Federation of Asian Chemical Societies) amidst these vigorous developments and changes? What are the biggest opportunities that Asia has presented and the challenges that the strategic partnership will face? In this article, the author touches on these topics and gives his views on the way forward.