From August 9 to 10, 2018, the “2018 world's sunflower industry Development Forum" with the theme of “Heavenly Rivers for Sharing with the Whole World" was held in Wuyuan County, a sunflower industry base in China.

the Forum was co-sponsored by the International Sunflower Association, the Bayannaoer Municipal People's Government, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Tourism Development Committee, and the Specialized Committee for Nuts and Roasted Seeds of China National Food Industry Association (China Sunflower Alliance)and hosted by Wuyuan County People's Government, Bayannaoer Tourism Development Committee, Bayannaoer Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau and Sanrui Agricultural Science Co., Ltd. It was the first and largest international conference focusing on edible sunflowers.

At the opening ceremony on August 9, Liang Kaihe, member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and deputy mayor, Zhang Guangming, deputy secretary of the Wuyuan County Party Committee and county head, Wang Bin, representative of the Specialized Committee for Nuts and Roasted Seeds of China National Food Industry Association, Yuan Dingjiang, chairman of Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture Co., Ltd., and Pilorge, Secretary-Treasurer of the International Sunflower Association, delivered speeches respectively.