As scheduled by the Organizing Committee of the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo, a press conference for the closing ceremony was held at the Expo Press Center from 15:30 to 16:30 on September 21, 2025 (Beijing Time). The conference officially announced that the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo will be held from September 17 to 21, 2026, with the Philippines as the country of honor and Changchun of China as the "City of Charm".

Changchun stood out from numerous applicant cities nationwide. This recognition not only highlights its robust socioeconomic development, but also marks a major breakthrough in local foreign affairs, fully reflecting the innovation and commitment of its foreign affairs efforts in fostering the growth of a modern metropolitan area. Leveraging the "City of Charm" platform at the 2026 Expo, this "Spring City of the North" will present a brand-new image to the world.

What is the "City of Charm"? 

To deepen China-ASEAN cooperation and extend it from the national level to the city level, the "City of Charm" program was introduced at the 2nd China-ASEAN Expo. To date, the following Chinese cities and regions have served as the "City of Charm": Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Qinzhou, Hainan, Guangzhou, Nanning, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Hong Kong, Fuzhou, Ningbo, Beihai, Chengdu, Guiyang, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, and Guilin.

Each host country selects a representative city as its "City of Charm" to comprehensively showcase its development and business opportunities in areas such as trade, investment, science and technology, culture, tourism, people-to-people exchanges, etc.

So far, the Expo has featured more than 180 "Cities of Charm" from China and ASEAN, demonstrating the outcomes of exchanges and cooperation between the two sides in various fields, fostering closer people-to-people ties and mutual understanding, and laying a solid foundation for all-round China-ASEAN cooperation. Changchun will be China's "City of Charm" at the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo in 2026.

Source: Division of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, CCFAO  Editor: Liu Jiadi