Distinguished colleagues and friends,

A great poet in ancient China once said," A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near." It means that under the sky, we are all friends and neighbors. What brings us together here today is the common passion for tunnelling and underground space.

As an ITA member, the China Civil Engineering Society (CCES) was established in 1912 and has nearly 1,000 corporate members and 100,000 individual members. In the field of civil engineering, it is committed to promoting the developement of technology and related disciplines, the popularization of science and technology, the cultivation of scientific and technological talents, and the close integration of economy with science & technology, thus making great contributions to the country’s development. The CCES joined ITA in 1979, and has been actively participating in ITA activities on behalf of China.