BEIJING - China's leading scientific institution is aiming to expand its influence by establishing overseas branches around the world, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced on Monday.

The CAS has started building a comprehensive research center in Kenya, while branches in central Asia, southeast Asia and Latin America are being planned, CAS Vice President Zhang Yaping said at an annual work conference.

The branches are expected to increase the CAS's ability to absorb and utilize international technological resources, as well as boost its global influence, attractiveness and competitiveness, according to Zhang.

Zhang said the CAS will launch a program to help Chinese scientists deepen scientific cooperation with scientists in other developing countries, as well as help them train scientific and technological staff.

The CAS will also recruit more elite foreign scientists, Zhang said.

Deng Maicun, secretary general of the CAS, said Chinese scientists made a number of influential achievements last year, including the discovery of factors that control the development of intelligence and the successful test flight of a stratospheric aircraft.

Deng said the number of high-level papers published by the CAS has increased by 13 percent year on year, he said.

The CAS vowed at the conference to improve the way scientific performance is appraised, stating that it will place less emphasis on publication and quantity when evaluating performance.

The CAS also announced that it will carry out research on the cause and control of atmospheric dust following record levels of air pollution that hit multiple Chinese cities last week.