Zibo city – located in East China's Shandong province – strengthened its international links via cloud exchanges from January to June despite the outbreak of COVID-19, according to local media on June 28.
In the first six months of the year, the city moved to create high-level cooperation platforms. It organized online meetings with a county in Japan, firms in Russia and an e-commerce industrial park in the Philippines. It also conducted more than 40 forums with countries such as Israel and Russia, attracting more than 100 enterprises to join in and promote their projects.
Zibo also expanded its channels for foreign exchanges and cooperation with 32 international sister cities. It signed a memorandum of understanding on May 13 to establish friendly and cooperative relations with the Haute Matsiatra Region in Madagascar. It also held communication activities with the German-Chinese Friendship Association and the China-Pakistan Friendship Association, as well as friendly exchange activities for students.
To facilitate enterprises with international businesses in foreign exchanges and cooperation, Zibo representatives visited 31 industrial parks, 168 foreign-related enterprises and units, nine major projects and helped resolve more than 150 problems with resident companies.
After compiling the needs of all walks of life and fields of commercial endeavor in the city, Zibo issued a series of English handbooks called Discover Zibo and sent them to more than 170 friendly organizations and business associations all over the world.
In addition, the city has been working on improving its international communications. Zibo and the city of Novgorod in Russia, for example, held an online cooperation and exchange forum and they have since published more than 10 publicity reports in their mainstream media. Moreover, Zibo has invited more than 50 international friends to participate in activities such as "Send greetings to each other" and "My Chinese year" and promoted the city in the mainstream media of more than 10 international sister cities.
Zibo has also created an international business environment. The city organized a series of activities to encourage its residents to learn and speak foreign languages and added bilingual signs in key public places – such as the hotels, banks and hospitals – to help out its expats and foreign visitors.
Furthermore, the procedures of its foreign affairs have been optimized and many services can now be accessed online or through cellphone apps.
