HAIKOU -- Hainan University, together with seven universities and scientific research institutions in tropical regions around the world, has started preparations for the establishment of the League of Tropical Universities (LTU), according to the university located in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province.

The LTU is a multilateral platform for international cooperation to advance higher education and socio-economic development in the tropical regions, home to 40 percent of the world's population.

Initiated by Hainan University and the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, the other six founding members include Cairo University in Egypt, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia, the University of S?o Paulo, Brazil, and the University of Malaya and the Universiti Teknologi Petronas in Malaysia.

The founding members have all expressed a common commitment to developing the alliance into a powerhouse of education and innovation globally, contributing to the formation of a community of tropical regions.

Luo Qingming, president of Hainan University, said that the establishment of the league is of great practical significance for effectively addressing the challenges facing the development of tropical regions and even the world, especially common issues in fields such as food security, climate change and public health.