At the invitation of the Changchun Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Mayor Ben Blain of Warrnambool, Changchun's sister city in Australia, led a four-member delegation on a friendly visit to Changchun from May 17 to 20, 2026.

On the evening of May 18, Vice Mayor Ruan Ganghui met with the delegation. Vice Mayor Ruan extended a warm welcome and provided a comprehensive overview of Changchun's basic profile, development history, achievements, current economic landscape, industrial structure, and future vision. He noted that Changchun is actively expanding its openness to the world and advancing the development of a modern metropolitan area, offering a wide range of high-quality platforms for international exchange and cooperation. He warmly invited Warrnambool to actively participate in Changchun's major international events, including the Opto-Expo, Auto Expo, Health Expo, as well as the Jingyuetan Vasaloppet International Ski Festival and the Changchun 2027 Winter Universiade, in order to seize opportunities, deepen cooperation, and promote shared development.

Mayor Blain expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the Warrnambool City Council for Changchun's warm hospitality and thoughtful arrangements. He stated that Warrnambool highly values its friendly relations and cooperation with Changchun, and that over the years, the sister-city relationship has steadily advanced on the basis of mutual respect, understanding, trust, and pragmatic collaboration. People-to-people exchanges, educational cooperation, and economic ties have played an important role in strengthening the bond between the two cities. Both sides see broad prospects and great potential for cooperation in education, agriculture, food, culture and tourism, and the economy. Looking ahead, he expressed hope that both cities would further deepen sister-city ties, enhance dialogue and mutual learning, and launch in-depth cooperation in education, agriculture, and tourism, so as to promote sustainable development and improve the well-being of the people in both cities.

During the talks, the Changchun Education Bureau and the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism presented the city's development in education and tourism, and outlined priorities for bilateral exchanges and cooperation in these fields.

During their stay in Changchun, the delegation also visited the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, the Jilin Provincial Comprehensive Research Institute of Hydrogen Energy Industry, Haoyue Group, and the Changchun National Agricultural High-tech Industrial Demonstration Zone. They toured the Changchun Urban and Rural Planning Exhibition Hall, Changchun World Sculpture Park, and the West Beijing Street Historical and Cultural Block, gaining in-depth understanding of the city's progress in urban planning, culture and tourism, agriculture, animal husbandry, and new energy. They also held discussions with relevant institutions to explore potential areas of cooperation and bring the sister-city partnership to a new level.

Source: American and Oceanian Affairs Division of Changchun Municipal Foreign Affairs Office  Editor: Liu Jiadi