2023 World Cities Forum and Regional Leaders' Summit opens in Jinan

The 2023 World Cities Forum and Regional Leaders' Summit commenced on Sept 25 in Jinan, Shandong province.

Guests from over 30 countries and regions attended the event and discussed ways to collaborate.

Lin Wu, secretary of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee, said that Shandong is aspiring to collaborate with friendly cities and create new opportunities for cooperation.

Other attendees including Paulette Bethel, Bahamas's ambassador to China and Alan Winde, Premier of South Africa's Western Cape, delivered speeches during the conference.

Representatives from organizations related to people-to-people diplomacy, including Yan Dong, Li Jie, and Chen Yuming also addressed the audience.

During the event, Zhou Naixiang, governor of Shandong, and Alan Winde inked a memorandum of understanding to bolster cooperation. Eight notable conference outcomes were also unveiled.

The conference, which was co-organized by the Shandong Provincial People's Government and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, featured over 20 activities such as the Plenary Meeting of 2023 Regional Leader's Summit, the World Cities Forum Round-table Dialogue, intangible cultural heritage displays, and artistic performances.