Initiated by Global Water Partnership (GWP), the ESF (European Science Foundation) Conference “Water Governance: Meeting the Challenges of Global Change” was held in May 6-8th at Obergurgl (near Innsbruck), Austria. Some 100 experts and scholars in water resources management and climate change from all around the world as well as Nobel Prize winners participated in this conference where researchers in the Water Resources Division of Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute (CRSRI) made its prominent appearance in the international academic stage. Doctor Li Hao was invited to address the conference with “China’s Strategies to Cope with Drought in Rural Areas: Trends and Challenges in Governance”, which received wide attention and response from foreign counterparts. Moreover, he organized an in-depth discussion on the opportunities and challenges Chinese water governance is facing with.