Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media,

Good afternoon!

I am honored to serve as the new President of the International Association of Institutes of Navigation (IAIN). This is both an encouragement for my personal career and service to the international community, as well as a new challenge for me. I would like to thank all members of the Officers’ Committee for their support, thank all IAIN member institutes for their trust, and of course, thank the China Institute of Navigation (CIN), especially President He Jianzhong, for nominating me to join the previous Officers’ Committee three years ago, where I was appointed IAIN Senior Vice-President.

Over the past three years, I have developed deep friendships and mutual trust with my predecessor, Mr. Krzysztof Czaplewski, and all other members of the Officers’ Committee. It should be emphasized that IAIN has a long history. The wise leadership of successive Presidents such as Krzysztof Czaplewski and John Pottle, Secretaries General such as Hesham Helal and Simon Gaskin, and other Officers has ensured the operation and steady development of IAIN in accordance with its Constitution. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude and high respect to all of them.

Now begins the new term of the IAIN Officers’ Committee. This concerns not only how we can work together with all members to achieve good performance for IAIN over the next three years, but also how we can ensure that IAIN moves toward a brighter future and better fulfills the aims of our association.

This is a fundamental question that I, and every Officer, should consider. I believe that we will listen to everyone’s views, reach consensus, and provide our answer as soon as possible. In this process, we will keep in mind the need to listen as much as possible to voices from different parts of the world and to represent as wide a range of interests as possible.

I hope that from now on, we can prioritize improving our ability to fulfill IAIN’s purposes and functions, commit to accelerating the expansion of our membership and broad participation in the association’s activities, strive to enhance the appeal of navigation technology to young professionals in the field, and endeavor to strengthen our presence and contributions.

We know that navigation technology is not only ubiquitous in today’s world, but it is also showing an accelerated trend of integration with new and rapidly advancing technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Taking the development and application of autonomous ship navigation technology as an example, the rapid progress in both technological development and application calls for a deeper, more diverse, and broader platform and vehicle for exchange and cooperation, as well as a more convenient, reliable, and standardized support mechanism and channel that meets integrated needs.

I know that there may be many difficulties and challenges, but if these are the directions and priorities defined by IAIN’s Constitution, then we have every reason to work hard toward them.

Officers, representatives of member institutes, experts and scholars, ladies and gentlemen, as the new President of IAIN, I will carry out my duties with enthusiasm and responsibility, and work together with other Officers to make positive efforts in serving our members and advancing IAIN itself.

The IAIN World Congress 2024 is now coming to an end. As one of the organizers of the Congress, I would like to thank the previous Officers’ Committee for its leadership and full support and cooperation with me and the Congress, thank all member institutes and experts for their participation and selfless contributions, thank all participants for being the protagonists of the Congress, and thank CIN and all supporting institutions and personnel involved in organizing and servicing the Congress. Thank you all for your understanding and tolerance regarding any shortcomings in our work.

Now, let us look forward to the next World Congress in Krakow, Poland.

Thank you all!