On March 12, a delegation from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Visited IWHR. Ms. PENG Jing, President of IWHR and Director-General of the IRTCES; Mr. DING Liuqian, Vice President of IWHR; Mr. PAN Qingbin and Mr. ZHANG Jianli, Deputy Director-General of IRTCES, and representatives from IWHR. 

Ms. PENG Jing warmly welcomed Ms. ZHONG Changzi and her delegation, expressing gratitude to the Qinzhou Municipal Party Committee, the Water Resources Department of Guangxi, and the Department of Transport of Guangxi for their ongoing trust, support, and assistance to IWHR. She acknowledged the solid foundation for cooperation between IWHR and Guangxi, highlighting that their exchanges have become closer, cooperation has deepened, and achievements have been fruitful, particularly through consulting and evaluating the Guangxi Water Resources Allocation Project in the Beibu Gulf. As a hub city for the "Belt and Road" Western Land-Sea New Corridor and as a gateway port facing ASEAN, Qinzhou possesses unique historical, cultural, and ethnic characteristics. Ms. PENG Jing expressed her hope that both sides would focus on implementing General Secretary XI Jinping's important speech on accelerating the development of new productive forces and advancing high-quality development. She emphasized the importance of jointly organizing the 9th International Symposium on Estuaries and Coasts and using it as an opportunity to cultivate new industries, create innovative models, and stimulate new drivers. The aim is to construct a sustainable future and jointly enhance cooperation and exchanges, contributing to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Ms. ZHONG Changzi,  Secretary of Qinzhou Municipal Party Committee, thanked IWHR for its long-term support and assistance regarding Qinzhou's water conservancy efforts. She stated that hosting the 9th International Symposium on Estuaries and Coasts is a significant step in implementing XI Jinping’s thoughts on Ecological Civilization and his important ideas on water governance. It represents a major opportunity for Guangxi to enhance its development and promote openness, as well as a platform to showcase Guangxi's "water stories" and Qinzhou's charm as a coastal canal city. She recognized the importance of this symposium and the challenges it poses, hoping that IWHR would leverage its strengths in disciplines, talent, and international cooperation to provide comprehensive support and guidance for the symposium’s preparation, ensuring it is held to high standards with distinctive features and influence. Ms. ZHONG looked forward to further deepening multi-level exchanges and cooperation with IWHR to help Guangxi transform its regional advantages into those of high-level openness and high-quality development, thereby contributing to the construction of a beautiful Guangxi in the new era.

Mr. ZHANG Jianli introduced the background of the International Symposium on Estuaries and Coasts. Mr. LI Kaichuang, Vice Mayor of Qinzhou Municipal Party Committee, spoke about the preparation work for the 9th International Symposium on Estuaries and Coasts. Mr. PANG Xuesong, Chief Planner of the Department of Transport of Guangxi, presented on the construction of the Pinglu Canal, while Mr. DENG Changqiu, Director of the Water Resources Department of Guangxi, elaborated on the close cooperation between the Water Resources Department of Guangxi and IWHR. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on how to further enhance cooperation and exchanges.

Before the main discussion, relevant departments from Qinzhou visited IRTCES to exchange views on the preparations for the 9th International Symposium on Estuaries and Coasts.

The International Symposium on Estuaries and Coasts, initiated by IRTCES—which also serves as its permanent secretariat—is held every three years. Its purpose is to provide a platform for researchers, scholars, engineers, and decision-makers from around the world to exchange ideas, share the latest scientific research, anticipate future developments, and contribute to the sustainable development of estuaries and coasts. Since its inception in 2003, the symposium has been successfully held in Hangzhou and Guangzhou in China, Sendai in Japan, Hanoi in Vietnam, Muscat in Oman, Caen in France, and Shanghai in China, with its international influence continuing to grow.