From 11 to 13 October 2018, the 2018 World Canal Cities Forum was held in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. The Forum was co-hosted by World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (WCCO) and China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (CNC-PEC), and supported by ASEAN-China Centre (ACC). More than 300 participants from 30 countries attended the Forum, including political dignitaries, experts, mayors and canal management officials from nearly 50 canal cities, businessmen, journalists and representatives from 20-plus international organizations.
Under the theme of Protection, Inheritance and Utilization of World Canal Cities’ Culture, participants had extensive and in-depth discussions on canal protection and development with a view to achieving sustainable development of the canals. The Forum issued the Yangzhou Initiative on the Protection, Inheritance and Utilization of the Culture of Canal Cities and other four outcome documents. H.E. Mr. Zheng Jianbang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), H.E. Mr. Wang Jiarui, former CPPCC Vice Chairman, H.E. Mr. Brian Cowen, WCCO Honorary Chairman and former Prime Minister of Ireland, H.E. Mr. Wang Jiang, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province, and H.E. Mr. Qian Hongshan, Deputy Minister of International Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the opening ceremony. There were four sub-forums on museum curators of world canal cities, ecological development, cultural tourism cooperation and canal protection legislation.
As a supporter of the Forum, ACC played an active role in inviting ASEAN countries to take part in the Forum. Mayor of Yangon of Myanmar, mayors of seven cities of Cambodia, Deputy Mayor of Vientiane of Lao PDR, Secretary-General of Chiang Mai Municipal Government of Thailand, and representatives from Palembang of Indonesia attended the Forum. Mme. Wang Hongliu, Director of General Affairs and Coordination Division of ACC, attended the Forum and the Sub-forum on World Canal Cities Cultural Tourism Cooperation, during which she exchanged views with Mr. Wilfredo R. Cuyugan, the host of the Forum and the Philippine Consul General to Shanghai, as well as other participants from canal cities of ASEAN countries. She briefed them on the mandate and main work of ACC and discussed about the possibilities of future cooperation on tourism, culture and education.
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