STORY: Over 200 experts gather in Poland for World Canals Conference 2024
SHOOTING TIME: June 25, 2024
DATELINE: June 25, 2024
LENGTH: 0:02:49
LOCATION: BYDGOSZCZ, Poland
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the conference
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SHARON LEIGHTON, President of Inland Waterways International(IWI)
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WANG HUIJUN, Deputy Secretary-General of World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (WCCO)
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): DENG QING, Honorary Secretary-General of World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (WCCO)
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): DAVID EDWARDS-MAY, Editor-in-chief of Inland Waterways International (IWI)

STORYLINE:

Over 200 global experts, scientists and entrepreneurs convened on Monday for World Canals Conference 2024 in the inland port city of Bydgoszcz, northern Poland.

This event coincided with the 250th anniversary of the completion of Bydgoszcz Canal, Poland's oldest navigable inland waterway. The anniversary celebration attracted many visitors over the weekend.

The theme of the 2024 conference is "Challenges between Ecology and Economic Use -- Sustainable Revitalization of Canals Focusing on Nature."

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): SHARON LEIGHTON, President of Inland Waterways International(IWI)
"We are delighted to be in Poland, where it has never been held before. This is exciting, and the conference is wonderful. We are looking forward to future conferences in the USA and in China, and to increased ideas, information exchange among the canals and waterways of the world from Europe, to North America, to Asia, to all of the continents, because water connects all of us and has so much value and we have so much to learn from each other globally."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WANG HUIJUN, Deputy Secretary-General of World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (WCCO)
"(We) hope to rely on their (Inland Waterways International) mature network and excellent team of experts in canals and inland waterways to promote the connection between our organization and Inland Waterways International as well as the World Canal Conference, so as to integrate the world's mature and good experiences, practices, and elements with ours, serving China's canal cities. At the same time, we also mutually influence each other in this process."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): DENG QING, Honorary Secretary-General of World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Cooperation Organization (WCCO)
"We strive to attract more and more canal cities from around the world to learn about China's Grand Canal and its story."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): DAVID EDWARDS-MAY, Editor-in-chief of Inland Waterways International (IWI)
"It was always an amazing experience, the Grand Canal in China. I loved visiting it. It is a source of pride for Chinese engineers, how they have been able to do everything that's necessary for modern inland water transport, big structures as well as preserving heritage and the environment, and having flood expansion zones. I mean it is a huge challenge, and absolutely fascinating, everything that we have been able to see during our relatively brief visits to China over the years."
   
The World Canals Conference has been held over 30 times since 1988, with notable sessions in Yangzhou, China, in 2012 and 2019.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Bydgoszcz, Poland.
(XHTV)