From 26 to 27 September 2019, Ms. Wang Hongliu, Director of General Affairs and Coordination Division of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), attended the 2019 World Canal Cities Forum & World Canals Conference as well as the opening ceremony of the Canal Culture Carnival upon invitation in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province of China.
The 2019 World Canal Cities Forum & World Canals Conference, with the theme of “the Preservation, Inheritance and Utilization of Canal Culture”, was co-hosted by the Office of Jiangsu Provincial Leading Group for Grand Canal Cultural Belt Construction, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Yangzhou Municipal People’s Government. Representatives from canal cities and international organizations, specialists, scholars, entrepreneurs and media in the relevant field around the world, totally more than 500 attendees participated in the event. Mr. Wu Zhenglong, Governor of Jiangsu Province, Mr. Luo Shugang, Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Juan Carlos Varelaand, former President of Panama, and Mr. David Edwards-May, President of Inland Waterway International Organization (IWI)attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks. Mr. Shan Jixiang, President of the Institute of Gugong Studies, Mr. Hoerning Ulrich, Vice Mayor of Leipzig, Mr. Zhang Jianting, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Hangzhou Municipal People’s Congress, and Mr. Wu Jiwen, Vice Mayor of Jining Municipal People’s Government also delivered speeches on the ceremony.
As an active supporter to the 2019 World Canal Cities Forum, ACC invited representatives from ASEAN countries to attend the Forum.