From June 2 to 3, 2026, the 10th World Transport Convention was held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center, Tianjin. With the theme “AI + Transport”, the Convention attracted transportation experts, scholars, industry representatives, and government officials from 21 countries and regions. NHRI's delegates actively participated in various events of the convention, fully demonstrating the innovative strength and international commitment of NHRI in the field of green waterborne transport

Mr. HU Ya’an, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chairman of NHRI’s Science and Technology Association, was invited to deliver a keynote speech titled Technical Innovations in the Pinglu Canal Engineering at the plenary session. He systematically introduced key innovative achievements for the Pinglu Canal, including ship lock filling and emptying system, water-saving technologies, and high-slope stability. He particularly highlighted the deep integration of digital technologies such as Beidou navigation and artificial intelligence with engineering construction, setting a new benchmark for the digital and intelligent transformation of the waterborne transport industry.

On June 3, NHRI and the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure (PIANC) jointly organized the “Thematic Session on Green and Sustainable Waterborne Transport”. Mr. LIN Xiaoping, Deputy Director General of the Water Transport Bureau of the Ministry of Transport, Mr. Francisco Lefler, President of PIANC, and Mr. DAI Jiqun, President of NHRI, delivered opening remarks. Vice President LI Jun presided over the opening ceremony and the keynote session. More than 50 experts and representatives from seven countries participated in the event. Experts and representatives from NHRI, China Communications Construction Corporation, China Railway Design Corporation, Flanders Hydraulics Research (Belgium), the Authority for the Tonle Sap Lake (Cambodia), New Era University (Malaysia), the Ministry of Water Resources of Bangladesh, and the China-South Africa Youth Association conducted technical exchanges covering multiple specialized fields, including intelligent construction, global trends, water-saving ship locks, waterway assessment, information technology, new energy integration, and multi-network integration.

Moving forward, NHRI will continue to leverage its research strengths at the intersection of water conservancy, transportation, and energy, intensify efforts in key areas of green waterborne transport, further deepen pragmatic cooperation with PIANC and Belt and Road countries, promote the “going global” of Chinese waterway technologies and standards, and contribute Chinese wisdom to the high-quality development of the global waterborne transport industry.