On June 30, 2025 (local time), the General Assembly of the International Road Federation (IRF) was held in Athens, Greece. At the assembly, Zhang Xigang, Vice President of the China Highway and Transportation Society (CHTS) and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was successfully elected Vice President of the IRF.

Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the IRF is a highly influential global academic organization whose members come from more than 130 countries and regions. The organization has four specialized technical committees—Road Financing and Economics, Environment and Sustainable Development, Road Safety, and Intelligent Transportation—and has carried out in-depth cooperation with international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank, playing a key role in the formulation of international road rules. As an authoritative academic organization in the international road sector, the IRF Awards established by the federation are among the most influential international awards worldwide. The IRF has one President and two Vice Presidents.

Academician Zhang Xigang has long been dedicated to research and application in bridge engineering technology and has achieved fruitful results. He pioneered the structural system and key design and construction control technologies for kilometer-scale cable-stayed bridges; proposed key technologies for controlling main girder cracking and mid-span deflection in long-span prestressed concrete girder bridges; and developed key technologies for short-line matching precast segmental externally prestressed bridges. He has also achieved outstanding results in key technologies for multi-pylon cable-stayed bridges, long-span variable-depth continuous steel box girder bridges, and disaster prevention, mitigation and safety control technologies for extra-large bridges. He has obtained 25 national invention patents, edited 7 monographs and 6 industry standards and specifications, and won 2 First Prizes and 1 Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, 7 Special Prizes for Science and Technology Progress at the provincial and ministerial levels, and 6 major international awards. He has also been honored as a National Engineering Design Master, a FIDIC "Centenary Outstanding Consulting Engineer," one of the "Top Ten National Outstanding Science and Technology Workers," and a recipient of the "National Award for Innovation and Excellence."

The election of Academician Zhang Xigang highlights the important position and influence of the China Highway and Transportation Society and China's transportation science and technology in the international road field, and also builds an important platform for CHTS, Chinese enterprises and experts to participate in global transportation governance. In recent years, CHTS and the IRF have carried out multi-level and pragmatic cooperation to jointly promote technological innovation and experience sharing in the global road transportation sector.

In his acceptance speech, Academician Zhang Xigang said: "As a bridge engineering researcher, I deeply appreciate the important role of transportation infrastructure in global development. China has accumulated valuable experience in major transportation engineering practice, and we are willing to share these achievements with countries around the world to jointly address global challenges."

The election of Academician Zhang Xigang as Vice President of the IRF will further enhance China's voice in the international road field, promote international scientific and technological cooperation and exchange, and help China's transportation science and technology better go global.