On 30 May, 7 delegation led by Dr. Arthit Sukhkasem, Deputy Director General of the Land Development Department (LDD) of Thailand, visited the Secretariat of the WASWAC. Prof. Qingbin Pan, Secretary General of the WASWAC, met with the delegation. Prof. Pengfei Du, Executive Secretary of the WASWAC, and related staff attended the meeting.

Prof. Qingbin Pan firstly extended a warm welcome to the delegation from Thailand. In particular, he pointed out that the LDD and the WASWAC had a deep history of cooperation, with an important point of cooperation dating back to July 2011, when Mr. Thavatchai Samrongwatana, the then Director General of the Department, led a 12 member delegation to visit the WASWAC to kick off substantive cooperation between the two sides. In September 2013, the 2nd WASWAC World Conference was successfully held in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Through a series of high-level visits and project collaboration, the two sides have deepened their cooperation in the areas of watershed management and ecological restoration. The visit of the delegation led by Deputy Director Dr. Arthit Sukhkasem provided an important opportunity for both sides to further deepen scientific and technological exchanges and expand the space for co-operation.

Prof. Pengfei Du gave a detailed introduction of the development history and current situation of the WASWAC. He reviewed the important initiatives and outstanding achievements in academic research, technology promotion and international cooperation since the establishment of the WASWAC, and emphasized that the WASWAC has always been committed to building a global exchange platform for soil and water conservation, bringing together the wisdom and strength of all countries, and jointly addressing the challenges of soil and water resources protection and ecological restoration. By sharing the results of international academic conferences and scientific research projects organized, the influence and leading role of the WASWAC in the field of soil and water conservation in the world was demonstrated.

Prof. Paige Chyu, the Executive Editor of WASWAC official journal—International Soil and Water Conservation Research (ISWCR), gave a presentation on the development of the journal. She elaborated on a series of high-quality cutting-edge academic research results included in the journal, and also highlighted the editorial board of the journal. At present, the editorial board gathers authoritative experts in the field of soil and water conservation from many countries and regions around the world, forming an international and diversified editorial review team.

Dr. Arthit Sukhkasem, Deputy Director General of the LDD, expressed his gratitude to the WASWAC for  warm reception and thoughtful arrangements. He said that he would actively participate in the international academic exchange activities organized by the WASWAC and seek cooperation in soil and water conservation projects and technical training. Representatives of the LDD introduced the functions and responsibilities and Thailand's policy initiatives in land development and management, soil and water resources conservation. They spoke highly of the remarkable achievements made by China in the fields of land management and soil and water erosion control, and expressed great interest in China's advanced experience and technology.

The seminar further enhanced the mutual understanding between the two sides in the field of soil and water conservation. Both side expressed that they would maintain close communication and continue to share their technical experience and policy practice in soil and water conservation, and jointly help to improve the research, technology and management level of soil erosion control and soil and water conservation in the world.

Before the meeting, Dr. Ying Zhao made a overview introduction on the IRTCES.