International mayors gather in Harbin to explore ice and snow economy

Mayors and senior city officials from across Europe, Asia, and North America have gathered in Harbin for a high-profile forum on the global ice and snow economy, underscoring the northeastern city's growing role as an international hub for winter industry cooperation.

The Global Mayors Dialogue · Harbin opened on Tuesday at the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Heilongjiang province, bringing together mayors, deputy mayors, and mayoral representatives from countries including Canada, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Turkiye, and China. Participants are exchanging policy experiences and practical approaches to developing ice- and snow-based industries, an area of increasing economic significance for cold-region cities worldwide.

The event is guided by the State Council Information Office and jointly hosted by the Information Office of the Heilongjiang Provincial People's Government and the Harbin Municipal People's Government.

With the theme "Connecting the World with Ice and Snow, Win-Win Cooperation for a Shared Future", the event aims to showcase China's experiences and practices in ice and snow industry development through visits and thematic dialogues, using Harbin, the "Ice City", as a window to the world.

During the three-day event, representatives will visit the century-old Central Avenue and the Harbin Institute of Technology's Aerospace Museum to gain a multi-dimensional understanding of Harbin's sustainable development in the ice and snow economy, technological empowerment of the industry, and the creation of winter IP.

During the thematic dialogue to be held on Wednesday afternoon, Chinese and foreign guests will share their respective cities' practical experiences and common expectations in the development of the ice and snow industry and urban governance.