(Yicai Global) Nov. 29 -- China dredges more than one billion cubic meters of sludge every year, outranking all other countries, states a report released at the Fifth International Congress for Dredging Technology Development yesterday.

China has become one of the few countries to develop advanced dredging technology and is now capable of extensive land reclamation and waterway dredging operations, state-run People's Daily reported.

Dredging refers to underwater sludge excavation with the purpose of unclogging, widening or deepening rivers or lakes.

The congress is a high-profile meeting for the Asian dredging industry. Representatives from over 300 leading dredging companies shared their insights into the latest trends and research findings in the global dredging technology market. Discussions focused on cutting-edge technologies concerning intelligent dredging, excavation engineering, ecological dredging and equipment manufacturing.