On September 6–7, 2026, Professor Jessica Dempsey, the newly appointed Director-General of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), led a delegation to visit Shanghai. Earlier on September 4, Vice Minister Zhang Guangjun of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) met with Professor Dempsey and her delegation in Beijing, where they held in-depth exchanges on SKA progress and important issues concerning SKAO's development. This was Professor Dempsey's first visit to China since assuming the role of SKAO Director-General on June 1, 2026. The delegation also included Dr. Filippo Zerbi, Chair of the SKAO Council; Dr. Simon Berry, Deputy Director-General and Head of the Director-General's Office; and Mr. Wang Qiming, Policy Advisor. The visit aimed to deepen strategic cooperation between the SKAO and the Chinese astronomical community and to advance China's continued leading role in SKA construction, operations, and international governance.

During the visit, Chen Jie, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, met with the SKAO delegation on the morning of September 7. Vice Mayor Chen first congratulated Professor Dempsey on her appointment as SKAO Director-General in June of this year and expressed gratitude for the close cooperation between the SKA and Shanghai under the Director-General's leadership. The two sides exchanged views on topics including Shanghai's role as a globally influential centre for science and technology innovation and its active participation in international big science research plans and projects. Vice Mayor Chen stated that Shanghai would continue to support the participation of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (SHAO) in the SKA work and looked forward to the SKAO providing more guidance and support in areas such as the China SKA Regional Centre (cnSRC) construction, talent development, and international resource linkages.

Professor Dempsey thanked Vice Mayor Chen for the meeting and introduced the background and current progress of the SKA project. She noted that as one of the founding member states of the SKAO, China has played a constructive role throughout the various stages of the SKA project. She highlighted that institutions including Shanghai Astronomical Observatory have carried out highly effective work in the SKA science data processing, science preparation, and regional centre construction, achieving encouraging progress.

Also attending the meeting were Li Shanshan, Director of the SKA Big Science Project Division at the International Science and Technology Cooperation Centre, MOST; Zhang Ying, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal Government; Luo Dajin, Director of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission; Liu Guangyong, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Shanghai Municipal Government; Gao Zhaobing, Vice President of the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kong Dali, Director of SHAO; and Professor Shen Zhiqiang, Chief Scientist of the SKA Special Project of MOST.

On September 6, the delegation made a dedicated visit to SHAO, with a focus on touring the cnSRC facility. As one of the primary nodes of the global SRCNet, cnSRC has passed SKAO's accreditation tests in April 2025, becoming the first SRCNet v0.1 node outside Europe. During the tour, the SKAO delegation held in-depth discussions with the cnSRC team and highly commended their contributions. The team reported on the phased achievements of the cnSRC construction, noting that the node now supports nearly 500 researchers worldwide in conducting research and that work is being accelerated on SRCNet v0.3 construction to ensure alignment with the global SRCNet milestone for 2028 Q1. The two sides had a thorough exchange of views on key topics including the current operational status of the global SRCNet, milestone planning, hardware procurement standardization, cross-border network link connectivity, and Asia-Pacific regional collaborative development mechanisms. The Chinese side put forward work suggestions on matters including optimizing personnel onboarding procedures and implementing the Singapore interconnect link. The SKAO side affirmed the cnSRC construction achievements, and agreed that international collaboration is an effective way to tackle common project challenges. Both sides made it clear that they would continue consultations on relevant topics and jointly promote the high-quality development of the global SRCNet.

On the afternoon of September 7, Professor Dempsey held an exchange session with the SKA science team of SHAO. Representatives from the observatory delivered presentations on their SKA-related research work and project progress, introducing phased achievements in scientific research, technology development, and project implementation across various teams. They also presented and shared key science directions and related research content in light of the new version of the SKA Science White Paper, collectively demonstrating SHAO's long-accumulated research foundation, technical strength, and development potential in the SKA-related fields. Professor Dempsey fully affirmed the achievements of SHAO and expressed appreciation for the professional capabilities and research accumulation demonstrated by the research teams. The two sides held in-depth discussions on topics including follow-up SKA science cooperation, key technology challenges, academic exchange, and results sharing. Both sides stated that they would take this exchange as an opportunity to further strengthen communication and collaboration, fully leverage their respective advantages in scientific research, technology development, and talent teams, continue to deepen practical cooperation in the SKA-related fields, and jointly advance relevant scientific research and technical work to contribute to achieving the SKA's major science goals.

Professor Dempsey then delivered a keynote talk titled "SKAO: Transformative Potential for Chinese and Global Astronomy" to SHAO colleagues and students. She painted a picture of the construction of the world's largest radio telescope—SKA construction is entering its peak phase in South Africa and Australia, with first science verification imminent. The talk also highlighted SKA's data processing systems, sustainability challenges, and the importance of global cooperation. Speaking about SKA's future development, the Director-General particularly emphasized the importance of young talent, expressing hope that more young people would join the SKA work and jointly contribute their wisdom and strength to this common astronomical endeavor of humanity.

This visit by the SKAO Director-General to Shanghai not only consolidated the outcomes of the MoU signed between SHAO and SKAO in 2023, but also further demonstrated Shanghai's international standing as a key node in the global SRCNet construction. Leveraging SHAO's technical accumulation and the comprehensive advantages of Shanghai as a science and technology innovation centre, the Chinese SKA team is steadily advancing toward the forefront of global astronomical big data processing.