News Network of XAUAT— On the afternoon of May 17, Mr. Kalanithy Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director of the International Water Association (IWA), visited Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology (XAUAT) and attended the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between the two parties. President Zhao Xiangmo met with Mr. Vairavamoorthy and his delegation in the VIP room of the Yicheng Sci-Tech Innovation Center. Also present were Wang Xiaochang, former Vice President of XUAT and Director of the IWA-International Future City Institute, along with officials from the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, the School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, and representatives from IWA. The meeting was presided over by Vice President Chen Rong.
President Zhao Xiangmo briefly introduced the university’s academic strengths and achievements in areas such as civil architecture, environmental municipal engineering, green building, low-carbon technologies, and ecological governance. He reviewed the 23-year partnership between XUAT and IWA and expressed gratitude to Professor Wang Xiaochang for his outstanding contributions to deepening bilateral cooperation. President Zhao noted that since Mr. Vairavamoorthy’s visit in June 2023—during which a memorandum of understanding was signed and the IWA-International Future City Institute was inaugurated—the collaboration between the two sides had deepened steadily, effectively promoting the development of relevant disciplines at XUAT. He emphasized that the signing of the new agreement would serve as an opportunity to further expand the scope of cooperation, enhance its quality and impact, and elevate exchanges to a new stage.
Mr. Vairavamoorthy highlighted China’s remarkable contributions to global water sustainability. He stated that Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, as one of China’s most influential institutions in architecture, planning, civil engineering, and environmental engineering, had actively participated in IWA affairs for over two decades and played a vital role in fostering relations between IWA and the Chinese academic community. He acknowledged Professor Wang Xiaochang’s contributions as Director of the IWA-International Future City Institute and expressed hope that both parties would work together to advance the development of the China Water Knowledge Hub (CWKH), creating an international knowledge-sharing platform and enhancing the global influence of China’s water science and technology.
In his remarks, Professor Wang Xiaochang expressed heartfelt gratitude to the university and IWA for their support of the Future City International Institute. He fondly recalled his personal journey at XUAT as both a student and a faculty member, as well as his close collaboration with IWA, and pledged to continue contributing to the mutual success of both institutions.
During the meeting, President Zhao Xiangmo and Mr. Vairavamoorthy signed the cooperation memorandum on behalf of their respective organizations. Both sides committed to pragmatic collaboration in talent cultivation, scientific research, and other fields, guided by the principle of mutual benefit.
Following the ceremony, Mr. Vairavamoorthy and his delegation toured the State Key Laboratory of Green Building and the School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, where they observed the operation of a pilot-scale facility for urban wastewater concentration and enhanced methane production.
