Prof. Robert J K Wood, director of the National Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS) of the University of Southampton, chair of the Symposium of the British side, delivered a welcoming speech in the name of the sponsor from the British side. Prof. Liu Weimin, vice-director of the Tribology Institute of Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES), co-chair of the Symposium, director of the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP) of the CAS and State Key Laboratory of Solid Laboratory of the LICP made a speech on behalf of the sponsor from the Chinese side.

Mr. Peter Jost, president of the International Tribology Council, attended the Symposium and made an invited report entitled "The perspective in tribology”. He said that Britain and China have cooperated closely in the field of tribology and both sides have made remarkable achievements in tribology and surface engineering. During the Symposium, the latest research progress in tribology and surface engineering made by Britain and China in recent years has been showed. The themes of the reports covered a wide range of areas, including basic and applied research on tribology and surface engineering, material wear, biological and bio-tribology under special working conditions, detection of friction state, modeling and calculation in micro/nano-tribology, etc. About 70 representatives from Britain, Germany, Italian and China have participated in the Symposium.

Prof. XUE Qunji, Prof. LIU Weimin, Prof. YAN Fengyuan and Prof. ZHOU Feng of the LICP made invited reports respectively. Prof. LIU said the Symposium has provided young researchers of the two countries with a platform to better cooperate and exchange views with each other, which will exert positive influence on enhancing the cooperation in the basic and applied research on tribology and surface engineering between the two countries. The first Symposium was held in Lanzhou in June 2009 and the third one will be held in Lanzhou in August 2010.

In order to further promote the cooperation between the two sides, Prof. LIU was appointed the visiting professor of the nCATS. Prof. LIU is the third visiting professor of the nCATS after Prof. Duncan Dowson and Prof. Mark Gee.

The Symposium was jointly hosted by nCATS and the State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication of the LICP. It was supported by the Research Councils UK (RCUK), Shell UK and State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication of the LICP. Prof. XUE Qunji, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the academic committee of the LICP assumed the role of honorary chairman of the Symposium.