Bai Chunli, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, took office in January 2013 as the President of the Academy of Sciences for Developing Countries (TWAS), becoming the first Chinese scientist to hold this position since the organization was established. TWAS is distributed in TWAS centers of excellence around the world, and carries out long-term scientific research and education cooperation and strategic consulting. Since 2013, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences for Developing Countries have jointly supported the establishment of 5 "Chinese Academy of Sciences-Developing Academy of Sciences Centers of Excellence" (hereinafter referred to as "CAS-TWAS Centers of Excellence"), focusing on climate and environment, water, green technology, Carry out talent training, cooperative research, strategic consulting in areas of common concern to developing countries, such as biotechnology and disasters, and build an extensive scientific and technological cooperation network for developing countries to promote innovation capacity building in developing countries and enhance the comprehensive scientific and technological influence of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the world force.

The International Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences (ICCES), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was established in 1991, focusing on the research of global climate and environmental change. In 1994, on behalf of China, ICCES became an excellent center of the Southern Committee for Science and Technology for Sustainable Development (COMSATS). As well as the task of scientific and technological talents in the field of meteorology and environmental research, it has established extensive cooperative relations with developing countries in the cultivation of talents in climate change research. In 2005, Ghulam Rasul, an international student from Pakistan trained by ICCES, successfully passed the defense and obtained a doctorate. He became the first foreign doctoral student trained by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and now serves as the director of the Pakistan Meteorological Bureau. ICCES is also the secretariat of the CAS-TWAS-WMO International Climate Forum initiated in 2001 by Academician Lu Yongxiang, former President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Hassan, Executive Chairman of TWAS, and Professor Obasi, former Secretary-General of WMO. Research staff training and collaborative exchanges have made significant contributions. Due to the rich accumulation of international cooperation in the early stage, the traction of frontier issues in climate and environmental research, and the urgent need to enhance the influence of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the field of climate and environmental research, ICCES was selected as one of the first five centers of excellence by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2013. - Centre of Excellence for Climate and Environment of the Academy of Sciences for Developing Countries (CAS-TWAS).