The congress was organized in conjunction with the Chinese Capital Vascular Symposium (CCVS), co-hosted by Xuanwu Hospital and Vascular Surgery Institute of Capital Medical University, with support from Beijing Hua Yan strategic alliance of technology industry innovation for vascular diagnosis and treatment.It was a very successful congress, highlighting the enormous progress that has been made in China in a relatively short period, especially in endovascular interventions and stem cell therapy, where in some areas our Chinese colleagues in vascular medicine and surgery are world leaders. Efficient simultaneous English-Chinese translation was available in plenary sessions which was appreciated by faculty from outside China as well as by local delegates.

As in 2015, an IUA Executive Board meeting was held during CCC-IUA. On this occasion the Executive Board meeting was combined with the required annual Administrative Board meeting and General Assembly. It was the first time that these annual meetings in the year alternate to the year of the world congress have been held in China.

Once again, we were most grateful for the hospitality shown to us during our stay in China by IUA President Elect Professor Yong-Quan Gu together with the local organising committee. The committee is now working hard in preparation for the 28th IUA World Congress, October 18-21 next year, which will be a great attraction for all IUA members and vascular specialists worldwide.

John Fletcher
IUA Past President