Harnessing Global Expertise to Advance High-Level Opening-Up and Forging a New Chapter of Revitalization Through Consultation

On January 23, the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Consultation Association of Expatriates in Changchun was successfully convened. Foreign representatives living and working in Changchun from the fields of education, trade and commerce, science and technology, among others, attended the meeting. Other attendees include officials from the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, the Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, and the Municipal Exit-Entry Administration.

At the meeting, the Municipal Development and Reform Commission and the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism briefed participants on Changchun's economic performance in 2025 and the city's key cultural and tourism projects planned for 2026, respectively. Ildiko Murray, Head of the Changchun American International School and President of the Consultation Association of Expatriates in Changchun, addressed that Changchun's vibrant ice-and-snow culture and the hospitality of its people have boosted foreign teachers' sense of belonging to and identification with the city. In his address, Woo Kyung-jae, President of the Korean Chamber of Commerce in Changchun and Vice President of the Consultation Association of Expatriates in Changchun, stated that over the twelve years he has lived in Changchun, he has witnessed the city's steady development firsthand, and that today Changchun has become a welcoming and comfortable "second home" where he hopes to put down long-term roots.

During the open discussion session, foreign representatives in Changchun engaged with the participating municipal departments, offering insights on issues such as work visa and permit policies, facilitation measures for exit and entry procedures, economic and trade exchanges in Changchun in 2026, and the development of the city's culture and tourism sector.

In concluding remarks, Ou Shuo, Deputy Director of the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, stated that since its establishment in 2019, the Consultation Association of Expatriates in Changchun has, over the past seven years, played an important guiding role in advancing high-level opening-up and fostering an international business environment in the city. Looking ahead, the Municipal Foreign Affairs Office will further integrate resources related to opening-up and optimize services for international friends in Changchun, which is now at a critical stage of accelerating the development of a modern metropolitan area and pursuing comprehensive revitalization. It is hoped that international friends in Changchun will continue to leverage their respective strengths and engage deeply in the city's development through investment and business ventures, cultural exchanges, and policy suggestions.

The successful convening of this annual meeting represents a vivid practice and a significant measure by the Changchun Municipal Foreign Affairs Office in thoroughly implementing the strategy of high-level opening-up and propelling the development of an international business environment. Going forward, the Office will continue to fulfill its coordinating role, facilitate information sharing, and optimize foreign-related services, striving to build the Consultation Association of Expatriates in Changchun into a "powerful magnet" for global wisdom and a "new highland" for innovation, and to bring together more "international brains" and "international wisdom" in support of Changchun's modern metropolitan area development.

Source: American and African Affairs Division of CCFAO  Editor: Liu Jiadi