2026 Macao Int'l Dragon Boat Races conclude

The 2026 SJM Macao International Dragon Boat Races concluded on Friday in Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), bringing together over 180 teams from home and abroad to compete for top honors.

The races were held over three days -- June 13, 14 and 19 -- at the Nam Van Lake Nautical Center. The final day featured two sub-events: the International Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race and the University Student Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race.

The Nanhai Jiujiang team swept both the open and women's titles in the International Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race (500m), while Tianjin University of Sport claimed victory in the University Student Invitation Standard Dragon Boat Race (500m).

This year's races also marked the debut of a team from Hengqin, a city in south China's Guangdong Province just across a narrow stretch of water from Macao. The event aims to foster sports and cultural exchanges between the neighbors.

"It's our first time racing here as the Hengqin Jiangke Dragon Boat Team, and we're really excited. The spirit of dragon boating is all about teamwork, where everyone works together with a positive attitude. We hope that through this event, we can enhance cultural exchanges in dragon boat racing between Macao and Hengqin," said Lao Iam Peng, a paddler of the Hengqin Jiangke Dragon Boat Team.

"Macao has hosted the International Dragon Boat Races for many years. This event gives us a good chance to carry forward the dragon boating culture, which embodies the spirit of perseverance, unity, and striving for progress. At the same time, the event brings together people from the Greater Bay Area and overseas Chinese in Macao to enjoy the races and share the festive atmosphere of the Duanwu Festival," said Vong Ka Hou, president of the Dragon Boat Association of Macao.

"I'm a PE teacher at TIS Macao and I always tell my students teamwork makes the dream work and this is a great representation of that," said Anderson, a paddler of the International School of Macao (TIS) Team.

Beyond the competitions, the International Dragon Boat Races Carnival was held near the racing area, featuring cultural performances, creative markets, and interactive games, all helping to enhance the festive atmosphere.

"I bring my children to watch the dragon boat races every year, because I want them to understand the true meaning of the Duanwu Festival. I hope they will learn the spirit of unity and teamwork and carry forward the Chinese culture," said Mrs. Ian, a local resident.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it fell on June 19.

It is a time to get rid of misfortune as venomous animals and insects were believed to appear at this time of year. It is also a time to commemorate the beloved Chinese poet Qu Yuan (339-278 BC) from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Activities such as dragon boat races and eating Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) have been passed down as traditional customs to celebrate the festival.

2026 Macao Int'l Dragon Boat Races conclude

Experts from China and the United States met in Beijing on Thursday to call for deeper agricultural cooperation, saying stronger ties could help safeguard global food security.

The event, themed "Deepening Agricultural Cooperation, Safeguarding Food Security," covered agricultural trade, supply chains, sustainable development, and new technologies.

Amid climate change and growing supply chain uncertainties, participants stressed that closer cooperation could boost resilience and strengthen food security worldwide.

"We hope the agricultural sectors in China and the U.S. can learn from each other and deepen cooperation. While China imports a large number of agricultural products, including those from the U.S., we also hope to bring more high-quality Chinese agricultural products to global markets. That requires China to continue modernizing and developing its agricultural sector," said Zhang Houyu, president of China Agricultural Risk Management Society.

"China is one of our biggest buyers of soybeans. So, we hope to keep these relations and these ties good. We've been doing this for 44 years over here, and we want to keep those relationships going and the friendships that we've built tied together," said Mike Koehne, board director of the American Soybean Association.

Participants also highlighted the importance of people-to-people exchanges, saying that greater engagement between younger generations could help build trust and create new opportunities for the future.

"We can learn from each other and implement technology better. So the collaboration is important, and that all comes through great relationships and building trust with one another," said U.S. farmer Augustus.

"There's always more room for agricultural cooperation. I think that the U.S. and China can learn a lot from one another. We really need to work together and come together to support our agricultural communities and farmers," said U.S. student Rianne.

China-US dialogue highlights agricultural cooperation amid global challenges