The Committee,

1. Having examined document LHE/21/16.COM/7.a,
2. Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decisions COM 5.2 and 12.COM 8.c.6,
3. Expresses its appreciation to China for submitting its second report on the status of the element ‘Watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junks’, inscribed in 2010 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, which was initially due for submission by 15 December 2018;
4. Takes note of the continuous efforts described in the report submitted by China to safeguard the element, in particular through its documentation, promotion and enhanced transmission, including by developing partnerships between the bearers of the element and educational institutions at various levels;
5. Invites the State Party to address the main threats to the viability of the element and the safeguarding hardships identified, including sustainable access to the needed raw materials, and to facilitate the practice of traditional craftsmanship as part of the current shipbuilding industry;
6. Encourages the State Party to reinforce the financial support provided to bearers, practitioners and apprentices in order to help them sustain their livelihoods and motivate them to ensure the viability of the element, and thus enhance the intergenerational transmission of the element;
7. Further invites the State Party to provide, in its next report on the status of this element, up-to-date information on the implementation of safeguarding measures between 2019 and the submission of the next report in 2022;
8. Requests that the Secretariat inform the State Party at least nine months prior to the deadline of 15 December 2022 about the required submission of its next report on the status of this element.