Between January 19 and March 18, 2020, CHENG Xiaowen, LV Hongliang, and JIANG Li Ke, joined in a training program in the Netherlands, as participants from CAUPD at the invitation of Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands. This initiative was part of the research tasks under the China-EU and Sino-Dutch Water Platform jointly carried out by the two organizations. As per the specific assignment, LV Hongliang and JIANG Li Ke worked at PBL (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency) for training and exchanges, while CHENG Xiaowen pursued a similar program at the Deltares, an organization affiliated with the UN Habitat.

This mission has been enormously productive. Firstly, as the first medium- and long-term training program of China Europe Water Platform(CEWP), it enriched the scope of CEWP cooperation and opened avenues for further collaboration between China and the Netherlands. Secondly, it fostered academic connections between CAUPD, PBL and Deltares, establishing a foundation for a long-term mechanism on exchange of visits. Thirdly, it broadened the research horizons and deepened the knowledge base of the participating professionals, enabling them to their knowledge structure and gain a deeper understanding of urban planning, river basin management, and stormwater management in the Netherlands.