新华社报道土木工程学院田村幸雄院士

CHONGQING, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese academician has said that being elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) was a great honor.

Professor Yukio Tamura was among 18 new foreign academicians elected to the institution Monday, including Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, Dame Ann Dowling, president of the London- d Royal Academy of Engineering and Leo Rafael Reif, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The total number of CAE foreign academicians is now 66.

"It is indeed my greatest honor to be elected as a CAE Foreign Member," Tamura said in an email interview with Xinhua. "This was strongly owing to the warmest and tireless support by many Chinese friends of mine. Without their support, I could not have continued my activities in China."

Tamura is a wind engineer dealing with wind resistant design of buildings and structures, and disaster risk reduction.

"I should make more effort to become deserving of this greatest honor," he said. "I will do my best in this direction."

Tamura works for the School of Civil Engineering of Chongqing University, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. He cooperates with Chinese colleagues, and often collaborates with young Chinese researchers and PhD students in the field of wind engineering.

"I would also like to disseminate all my know-how, developed by long and deep experience cooperating with many world eminent researchers and professors, to young Chinese talent," he said.

In a letter to new members, the CAE encouraged them to "cultivate young talent, take the lead in creating a scientific and democratic academic environment, be prudent in accepting offers of public  s, and be indifferent to fame and wealth."

CAE membership is China's highest   in the field of engineering and a lifelong honor. New members are recruited every two years. The CAE has 882 academicians.

The CAE and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are the country's two top think tanks to advise the government and industry on scientific and technological issues.