On July 10, the 5th Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation was held in Guangzhou. It featured approximately 350 attendees, including political dignitaries from African countries and heads of local governments and relevant institutions from China and Africa. The theme of the forum was "Contributing Local Efforts to Building a High-level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future". Chinese and African guests exchanged ideas on topics such as industrial cooperation, talent training, and green innovation.

 

As Changchun has no sister city in Africa, the Division of American and Oceanian Affairs of Changchun Municipal Foreign Affairs Office aimed to take advantage of the forum to seek potential opportunities for expanding Changchun's cooperation with Africa. During the forum, the Division of American and Oceanian Affairs actively communicated with local officials from cities in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Seychelles, Eritrea, Liberia, and Benin, introducing Changchun's competitive industries and its intentions for international cooperation. Additionally, they learned about the main industries and future development directions of these countries. Some African officials expressed interest in cooperation with Changchun in areas such as automobiles, rail transit, and agriculture. Notably, Alfred Jamiru, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs of Sierra Leone, sincerely invited the officials of Changchun to visit Sierra Leone in April next year. 

In the future, our Office will strengthen exchanges and visits with the aforementioned African countries to lay a solid foundation for establishing sister city relationships.