On October 23, 2025, Mr. Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met in Beijing with Mr. Vincent Lemarchand, President of the Rouen–Ningbo Friendship Committee.

Mr. Yang welcomed Mr. Lemarchand to China and said that over the past 35 years since the establishment of the Ningbo–Rouen sister-city relationship, the cooperation between the two cities had grown extensively and had yielded fruitful results in many areas, including business, education, and culture. It has become a model for sister-city cooperation between China and France. He noted that these achievements were the result of the two peoples' joint efforts and, more importantly, the dedication of French partners such as Mr. Lemarchand over the past decades. He expressed the CPAFFC's hope that cities in China and France would continue to deepen friendship through mutual contact, and that sister-city cooperation would deliver tangible results and mutual benefits to the two cities and peoples.

Mr. Lemarchand said that he had visited China more than 60 times since 1987. The visit coincided with his 83rd birthday. He was deeply moved by the warm hospitality extended by President Yang and the CPAFFC. He had witnessed how Ningbo and other Chinese cities had achieved remarkable progress in their development — a true reflection of the Chinese modernization. He added that, as President of the Rouen–Ningbo Friendship Committee, he remained fully committed to promoting friendly exchanges between China and France and would continue to further strengthen the friendship between the two cities and peoples.

Also attending the meeting were Mr. Hao Zhongwei, Director General of the Department of European & Asian Affairs of the CPAFFC, and Ms. Bao Xianping, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Ningbo Municipal People's Government.