Officials and experts in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, have vowed to strengthen environmental protection measures along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

Xie Zhengyi, Party chief of Yangzhou, said on Thursday that the city will protect the canal and further cultivate old customs along the waterway, which is the longest artificial river in the world, dating back to the 5th century BC.

He made the statements at the World Canal Cities Expo in Yangzhou, where officials and water resources experts from 47 countries had gathered to discuss the sustainable use of waterways, particularly those in China.