Ten young science professionals from Chinese research and policy institutions met with 10 of their American counterparts on Thursday at the third U.S.-China Young Scientist Forum (YSF), the U.S. State Department said.

The third YSF was co-led by Jonathan Margolis, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State of Science, Space and Health, and Wang Qiang, Director of American & Oceanic Affairs in the International Cooperation Division of China's Ministry of Science and Technology, the State Department said in a statement.

At the forum, the two sides "exchanged views on challenges and opportunities for young scientists such as how to build international networks and research collaborations, manage work/life balance issues, and the importance of scientific mentoring," the statement noted.

The YSF is an outcome of the work of a science and technology working group under the framework of the U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), which was launched by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong in Beijing in 2010.

The CPE aims at enhancing people-to-people exchanges between the United States and China on education, culture, sports, women's issues, and science and technology. The first two YSFs were held in Beijing in 2011 and 2012.

"Collaboration in science and technology is an important and dynamic area of the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, dating back to the 1979 U.S.-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, which was one of the first bilateral agreements between the United States and China," the State Department noted.

As the landscape of science continues to become more global, the CPE science and technology working group helps young scientists in both countries "to develop skills for successful international collaboration in order to productively engage with colleagues around the world for solving the world's most pressing problems," it added.

After the forum, the Chinese science professionals will also meet with their U.S. counterparts at the Arizona State University and in California's Silicon Valley, through the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2012)