On September 18th, the opening ceremony of the 2023 Workshop for Officials from friendly Cities in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa was held on the Gubei Campus of SUIBE. The workshop was jointly organized by the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and SUIBE. Attending the opening ceremony were Fu Jihong, Vice President of the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Vice President of SUIBE Xu Yonglin, Li Chunping,the 2nd Inspector of Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, the Director of the European and African Affairs Division of Shanghai Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, as well as representatives from Seychellois, Belarusian, Bulgarian, South African, Slovenian and HungarianConsulates General in Shanghai, and 14 participantsfrom friendlycities in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa. The Director of International Office of SUIBE, Jin Quan, presided over the opening ceremony.
During the opening ceremony, Fu Jihong expressed his hope that political trust and multi-domain cooperation would lay a solid foundation for building a community with ashared futurebetween China and Central and Eastern Europe as well as Africa. As the host of this workshop, SUIBE serves as an important window for spreading Chinese culture and Shanghai's local culture. It is hoped that the participants inthe workshop will enhance their understanding of Shanghai and China during their stay, promote exchanges between Shanghai and its sister cities, gain knowledge, and foster friendship among each other.
XuYonglin warmly welcomed the guests and participants, introducing the university's history, basic information, advantages, and internationalizededucation, particularly the university'scooperation and exchanges with itsCentral and Eastern European and African counterparts. He hopes that the university would actively deepen practical cooperation with universities and research institutions in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa, promote academic, cultural, and educational exchanges and cooperation, and play a greater role in promoting friendly exchanges in culture, education, and trade between China and other countriesand between Shanghai and its sister cities.
The five-day workshop included a series of lectures and field visits to places such as the Pudong Exhibition Hall, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, and Shanghai Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center.
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