On March 18, Luo Lei, Deputy Secretary General of Shenyang Municipal Government, led a working group from Foreign Affairs Office of Shenyang Municipal Government  (Shenyang People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) to Qingdao, aiming to learn from the successful experience in hosting the 2023 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum on People-to-People Friendship and the Forum on Friendship Cities. During the visit, Foreign Affairs Office of Shenyang Municipal Government and Office of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee signed a Framework Agreement on Strategic Cooperation, with Chen Shuangwei, Director of Foreign Affairs Office of Shenyang Municipal Government, and Fan Qizhi, Director of Office of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee, signing the document.

During the visit, the working group focused on learning Qingdao’s successful experience in hosting the 2023 SCO forum, and conducted on-site inspections of the main venue, Qingdao International Conference Center, and the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Zone, reviewing the planning, construction, and operation.

The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on advancing friendship city exchanges, services for foreign nationals, and urban internationalization. Director Chen Shuangwei emphasized that both Shenyang and Qingdao have anchored their strategic roles as international central city in Northeast Asia and coastal pivotal central city respectively, and are committed to building themselves into international hubs and central cities for foreign exchanges. He stated that the two foreign affairs offices will pool their strengths and leverage complementary advantages to deepen cooperation in resource sharing, industrial interaction, and mutual learning, thereby enhancing their capacity to serve local economic and social development and contribute to the overall diplomacy of China.

Director Fan Qizhi shared Qingdao’s experience in hosting major international events, expanding friendship city cooperation channels, and innovating consular exchanges. He pledged to collaborate closely with Shenyang to explore new pathways for local foreign affairs cooperation and jointly promote the high-quality development of foreign affairs work, better serving the overall diplomacy of China.

The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the following three areas and jointly write a new chapter in local foreign affairs cooperation. First, strengthen the sharing of foreign affairs resources. They will enhance the exchange and sharing of important information in areas of international friendship cities, industrial investment attraction, important contacts at home and abroad, and significant foreign affairs activities. They will also expand information exchange channels in a timely manner based on the actual needs of foreign affairs work, and build a platform for sharing resources to inject new vitality into the high-quality development of mutual foreign affairs work. Second, enhance mutual learning and exchange in foreign affairs. They will conduct in-depth exchanges and mutual learning on experiences and practices in areas of strengthening the foreign affairs system and mechanism, deepening international friendship city cooperation, hosting major international events, strengthening local international publicity, managing official overseas trips, and cultivating high-quality foreign affairs talents, providing support for the high-quality development of their respective foreign affairs work. Third, enhance two-way exchanges of talents. Both sides will strengthen exchanges and study among foreign affairs talents, establish a platform for information exchange, and learn from each other's talent training and education models to build a platform for enhancing the comprehensive capabilities of foreign affairs talents in the two cities.