On August 7, more than 50 young talents from 28 countries gathered in Beijing to participate in the Summer Program on “An Overview of Modern China and City Development” and the 2023 Workshop for Beijing’s International Sister City Officials, which was co-hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality (the Office) and Beijing International Studies University (BISU). Leaders from the International Department of the Central Committee of CPC and the Ministry of Education attended the opening ceremony.

To showcase the capital’s cityscape that seamlessly blends ancient grandeur with modern vitality, and to strengthen people-to-people exchanges with sister cities, the Office has been running training programs for Beijing’s sister cities since 2009, inviting a total of 176 officials and Chinese language teachers from sister cities to Beijing. This ongoing effort has built a bridge of friendship and cooperation between Beijing and its sister cities. This year, while continuing to harness the city’s high-quality foreign affairs resources, the Office developed a new approach featuring “sister cities + thematic topics”. Leveraging BISU’s international training resources, the program invited officials from sister cities such as Bangkok in Thailand, Hanoi in Vietnam, Phnom Penh in Cambodia, and Gauteng in South Africa. This program allows participants to see concrete examples of Chinese modernization, as part of efforts to tell genuine, engaging stories of China and Beijing.

The participants had high expectations for the training. Zanele Fakude, representative of the sister city officials and Director of Gauteng Growth and Development Agency of South Africa, said at the opening ceremony that South Africa is China’s largest trading partner in Africa, while Gauteng is a key economy in South Africa and wider sub-Saharan Africa. She hoped that the workshop would offer valuable insights into China’s successful practices in such areas as economy, trade, education, public service, and cultural exchanges.

The workshop would provide the participants with a panoramic view of Chinese modernization by combining thematic courses and field trips. In addition to classroom learning, the two-week workshop would also include visits to the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center, Beijing’s central axis, the autonomous driving demonstration zone, and the 12345 Citizen’s Hotline Service Center. These field visits would enable participants to experience China’s thriving development and Beijing’s captivating allure and therefore see a genuine, multi-faceted China.

(Video and photo source: www.chinanews.com, China.org.cn, and BISU)