The 2026 Engineering Capacity Building Program for Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation kicked off in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin Province, on August 24. Under the theme of "Intelligent Era · Manufacturing Innovation," 45 engineers from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kenya, Congo, Nigeria and other countries gathered in Jilin for cross-border learning and exchange focused on advanced manufacturing.

Hosted by Chinese Society of Engineers (CSE), with support from the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations, and co-organized by provincial science and technology associations, leading manufacturing enterprises and universities, the program aimed to create a platform for knowledge sharing and practical global engineering cooperation.

Against the global shift toward digital, smart and low-carbon manufacturing, engineers face growing demands for continuous professional development, cross-border collaboration and problem-solving for complex projects. Moving beyond classroom-only teaching, the program combined thematic lectures, factory site visits, roundtable discussions and outcome-sharing sessions to match real-world industrial trends and practical needs.

The curriculum balanced theoretical depth and international industrial vision. Topics included the industrial application of biodegradable polymers, ASEAN digital-driven manufacturing, core advanced manufacturing technologies and PPP practices for large-scale infrastructure. Emerging technical fields such as material innovation, robotics, green manufacturing, digital twins and full-lifecycle project management were also included.

Benefiting from Changchun's profound industrial accumulation and complete manufacturing industrial chain, the program arranged targeted field visits to a number of local benchmark enterprises such as FAW Group and CRRC Changchun. Participants conducted in-depth field research on core technological innovations and industrial application achievements in automobile manufacturing, rail transit equipment, commercial aerospace, laser manufacturing and high-performance composite materials. 

"This is my first time in Jilin. It has been very rewarding to meet fellow engineers from other countries and see advanced manufacturing technologies at local Chinese enterprises," said Zhi Qingyu, a senior expert at State Grid Henan Electric Power. This marks his second participation in CSE's training events. He described the program as practical and welcoming, and expressed hope that more such opportunities will become available for engineers worldwide.

The Changchun event is one instalment in the CSE's 2026 capacity‑building training series. Drawing growing participation from engineering organizations, enterprises and engineers across diverse regions, the series strives to foster cross-border engineering dialogue, support global practitioners' professional development and advance international industrial-technical cooperation.