1. Five cities to share their foreign affairs office resources
In order to expand joint operations and resource sharing, municipal foreign affairs offices in the cities of Dalian in Liaoning province, Qingdao in Shandong province, Ningbo in Zhejiang province, Xiamen in Fujian province and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, held a productive group video conference on Sept 13.
Li Xiaoping, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Xiamen, shared with the conference the city's new ideas and measures for foreign affairs during the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control period.
Officials from the five cities exchanged their views and expectations for future cooperation in resource sharing and mutual exchanges, among other things.
They signed a framework agreement to establish a cooperative working mechanism.
It is expected this will give full play to the advantages of each city's foreign affairs operations, broaden exchanges and ventures in various fields, as well as create a new model for inter-regional linkages of resources for other foreign affairs offices in the country.
2. Xiamen officials attend Kazan Digital Week online
Officials from Xiamen city in East China's Fujian province recently participated online during an important high-tech international event held in the city of Kazan in Southwest Russia.
The Kazan Digital Week International Forum was held on Sept 21-24. Focusing on best practice, developments and expertise in the field of digital technology, it is regarded as one of Russia's largest annual international exchange platforms.
At the invitation of the mayor of Kazan, Xiamen's vice-mayor Huang Xiaozhou took part in a roundtable via a video conference on Sept 21.
Huang delivered a keynote speech on the concept of the smart city and shared Xiamen's successful experiences in the field. He also gave a briefing about the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center in Xiamen, which recently officially started operations.
Huang said the center would provide strong momentum for Xiamen's smart city development.
Kong Suting, deputy director of the Xiamen Foreign Affairs Office, also participated in the video conference.
Kazan, with its developed economy and rich cultural heritage, is one of Xiamen's friendly exchange cities among the BRICS countries.
3. Xiamen FAO boosts efforts to help expats fight COVID-19
In the face of the COVID-19 situation in East China's Fujian province, the Foreign Affairs Office of Xiamen city in the region has reportedly spared no effort in order to help locals, especially expats, fight the epidemic.
Officials and staff members at the foreign affairs office have been actively involved in the anti-epidemic volunteer service works.
The office is understood to have been keeping a close eye on information released by the Xiamen Municipal Headquarters for COVID-19 Response. Once there is a notification, the office immediately translates the notification into English, Japanese and Korean and publicizes them on its official website, WeChat account and other platforms.
The office also provides 24-hour emergency telephone hotlines in seven languages – Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Spanish – to answer any inquiries about COVID-19.
Moreover, the office has boosted communications with the three consulates general in Xiamen, giving them necessary support and guidance.
Additionally, the Xiamen Foreign Affairs Office has reportedly improved and strengthened its management of the invitation of foreigners to China.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
