EU and Chinese cities and regions meet at the 15th China-EU High-level Seminar on Regional Policy Cooperation in Taicang, Suzhou
On 27 February 2024, under the China-EU Regional Policy Dialogue framework, the 15th China-EU High-level Seminar on Regional Policy Cooperation was held in Taicang, Suzhou.
With the theme of "Sustainable Urban Development and Regional Cooperation", the seminar aimed to showcase the achievements of the International Urban and Regional Cooperation Programme EU-China (IURC China) in 2021-2023 and to share the best practices and success stories between cities and regions from the EU and China, in responding to the common challenges of the global economic and social recovery in the post-pandemic era and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
European Union, 2024
Mattias Lentz, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to China, Ronald Hall, the Senior Advisor to the Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policies of the European Commission, Xiang Wei, the Deputy Director General of the Department of Coordinated Regional Development, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China, and Lin Kang, the Deputy Director General of the Development and Reform Commission of Jiangsu Province, attended the seminar and delivered speeches.
Xiang Wei mentioned that, in 2006, the NDRC of China and the European Commission officially launched the China-EU Regional Policy Dialogue Mechanism (the Mechanism). Since then, 12 high-level dialogues and 14 high-level seminars on regional policy cooperation have been held. Through the joint efforts of both sides, the Mechanism has been strengthened gradually, and the cooperation has achieved fruitful results, which has made an excellent model of many cooperation mechanisms and areas between China and the EU. The relationship between the EU and China plays a significant role in the peace, stability, and prosperity of the world, and it is hoped that both sides can fully cooperate to boost global economic growth and achieve common prosperity.
Mattias Lentz responded in his speech that the 24th EU-China Summit held in 2023 was taken as an opportunity to engage with China following a period of intensified bilateral contacts and dialogues. The EU acknowledges the role of cities and regions in continued engagement with China and the programme of IURC China offers an effective instrument for the cooperation between cities and regions toward sustainable urban development and regional innovation goals. At the start of the Year of Dragon – a year associated with prosperity, strength, and great success – the EU and China are expected to initiate more fruitful exchanges and dialogue at national and subnational levels.
Elisa Ferreira, the European Commissioner of Cohesion and Reform, addressed the seminar via video. She emphasised that the cooperation between the pilot cities and regions is a new chapter on the road to sustainable development, a new initiative for urban and regional cooperation between China and Europe, and a new step to deepen the mutually beneficial EU-China cooperation.
European Union, 2024
At the seminar, Memorandums of Cooperation were signed between Sisak-Moslavina County of Croatia and Zhongxian of Chongqing, Alentejo Region of Portugal and Dalian Municipality, and Ljubljana Urban Region of Slovenia and Chongqing Liangjiang New Area. The Western Greece Region of Greece and Hangzhou city jointly expressed their commitment to cooperation. Chongqing Liangjiang New Area also issued an initiative and called for open cooperation in the fields of culture, design, and the creative industries with European pilot cities and regions, which was positively responded to by the Bielsko-Biała of Poland, the Municipality of Sofia of Bulgaria, and the Bacau County of Romania, who counter-signed the cooperation initiative.
Representatives and experts from European cities and regions of Lazio Region (Italy), Western Greece Region (Greece), Alentejo Region (Portugal), Sisak-Moslavina County (Croatia), Fuenlabrada (Spain), Bielsko-Biała (Poland), NCI Bologna (Italy) and representatives of Chinese pilot cities and regions such as Beijing, Dalian, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Suzhou, Guangzhou Development District, Chongqing Liangjiang New District and Chongqing Zhongxian District attended the seminar onsite. Representatives and local stakeholders from Stuttgart Region (Germany), Bari (Italy), Sofia (Bulgaria), and Bacau County (Romania) attended the seminar online.
As part of the EU-China Regional Policy Cooperation Dialogue mechanism and funded by the European Union, IURC China is committed to promoting exchanges and cooperation on sustainable development between Chinese and European pilot cities and regions.
Launched in January 2021 with the head office in Beijing, IURC China has 43 pilot cities and regions, of which 21 are from Europe and 22 are from China. Over the past three years, the project has successfully facilitated nine cooperation agreements between the pilot cities or regions; organised and co-organised more than 80 online and offline events involving over 1,800 participants; and produced over 500 communication materials and 50 knowledge products. The project has been facilitating and promoting knowledge-sharing and concrete cooperation between pilot cities and regions.
For more information about IURC China: https://www.iurc.eu/china/
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IURC/2024