On the afternoon of April 18, 2017, World Historic and Cultural Canal Cities Organization (WCCO) held the Canal Cities Cooperation Symposium on the Jianghuai Ecological Corridor. The symposium was aimed at building a platform that integrates various resources and wisdom to contribute towards the strategic planning of the ecological corridor.

The symposium was attended by over 100 participants, including WCCO's advisers, experts, academicians, representatives of WCCO Council member cities, special guests, persons-in-charge of Jiangsu Provincial Bureau of Environment Protection as well as the environment protection authorities of Xuzhou, Suqian, Huai'an, Taizhou, and Yangzhou municipalities. Discussions at the meeting centered around issues such as ecological protection, utilization of environmental and water resources, and the planning of the Jianghuai Ecological Corridor. 

The symposium was presided over by Mr. He Jinfa (WCCO Executive Vice-Chairman), graced by Mr. Zhang Aijun (Mayor of Yangzhou) and the concluding remarks were delivered by Mr. Zhu Minyang (WCCO Chairman). Other key-note speakers included Mr. Huang Xiaofan of the World Heritage Department of the State Administration of Cultural Relics and Mr. David Edwards-May, Chairman of Inland Waterways International (IWI).