On 7 September 2007, Yang Bailing, former Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chairman of the National Science Holdings, visited the Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and held a meeting with core members of scientific research and principals of management departments with his entourage when they were in Xiamen to attend the China - Caribbean Economy and Trade Cooperation Forum in Xiamen.

Vice President Yang Bailing and his entourage first visited the temporary offices and laboratories of the Institute. In the subsequent informal discussion, Prof. Zhao Qian-Jun, deputy director of IUE gave a report about the progress of preparatory work for the establishment of the Institute and long-term strategic development programming.

Vice President Yang Bailing fully affirmed the achievements gained during the year since the preparatory work for the establishment of the Institute of Urban Environment commenced. At the same time, he also stressed that the Institute of Urban Environment, which is a new Institute about cross-cutting areas of resource environment and high-technology constructed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the government of Xiamen City, must be clear about the positioning and direction of the Institute. Further, the institute should integrate all the strength related to urban environmental issues which were dispersed among the Institutes of CAS together, strengthen cross-integration, achieve complementary advantages, and do our best to make the Institute a science and technology platform to carry out comprehensive studies of major urban environmental issues.

Finally, Vice President Yang Bailing hoped all the people carry forward the spirit of hard work, solidarity and cooperation, closely around the national and local strategic requirements, and further improved the development programming of the Institute, and strive to make the Institute of Urban Environment a high-level research institution with considerable impact both at home and abroad.