Magnesium alloy is internationally recognized as one of the most promising lightweight materials, known as the “green engineering metal in twenty-first century”. The outstanding effect of magnesium alloy in structural weight reduction is not only expected to solve the urgent lightweighting problem in key equipment and major projects, but also anticipated to play an important role in achieving the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Therefore, an increasing number of researchers are devoting to research on magnesium alloys with structural and functional properties.

Initiated and sponsored by the Harbin Engineering University and Nanchang University, China Youth Scholars Symposiums on Advanced Magnesium Alloys will provide a national communication forum for researchers to present state-of-the-art works of magnesium alloy. The conference is also hoped to offer a national platform for researchers from universities and companies to discuss the technology development and patent transfer, as well as the potential impact of frontier magnesium alloys in industrial applications.

From the discussion in these symposiums, some of the key issues explored by the researchers were summarized in 13 separate papers, which were published in Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters) and consolidated into the present special issue for advanced magnesium alloys, in which the following aspects are included:

  1. (1)

    New-type microstructure characterization.

  2. (2)

    High strength and ductility design.

  3. (3)

    New processing technologies.

  4. (4)

    Corrosion behavior and protection.

  5. (5)

    New-type magnesium alloy.

The invited authors are front-line researchers on magnesium alloys from China and Australia, who possess good academic records in the peer-reviewed journals. We hope that this special issue will become a good forum for the research progress exchange, inspire more state-of-the-art viewpoints and stimulate the research and application of magnesium alloys.

Finally, we are very grateful to all the authors and reviewers for their contributions to this special issue.