In order to learn advanced experience in foreign affairs work and build Ningbo into a city-level exemplar for Zhejiang provincial development, Ms. BAO Xianping, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director-General of Ningbo Foreign Affairs Office, led a working group on a study and exchange visit to Hangzhou Foreign Affairs Office. During their stay in Hangzhou, the working group spent most of their time visiting Hangzhou International Sister City Museum and the Secretariat of UCLG-ASPAC Committee on the Belt and Road Local Cooperation, and attended meetings to exchange views. Mr. XU Leping, Member of the Party Leadership Group, Deputy Director-General and Level Ⅱ Bureau Rank Official of Ningbo Foreign Affairs Office, along with directors of relevant divisions, accompanied Ms. BAO throughout the visit.

As a signature achievement of Hangzhou's foreign exchanges, Hangzhou International Sister City Museum employs the digital technologies including AI, VR and AR to vividly showcase Hangzhou's history of exchanges and cooperation outcomes with over 60 international sister cities around the world. The working group learned detailed information about the operational model of the museum, the mechanism for integrating sister-city resources, and the application of digital exhibition technologies. Ms. BAO noted that Hangzhou's practical experience on in-depth integration of technology and culture provides Ningbo with valuable lessons. Leveraging its own distinctive economic and cultural characteristics, Ningbo will seek to develop international exchange platforms that better reflect the city's unique identity.

In a meeting, Mr. JIN Heng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director-General of Hangzhou Foreign Affairs Office, shared the innovative practices in Hangzhou's foreign affairs work in recent years. He noted that in recent years Hangzhou has taken the opportunities of hosting international sports games such as the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games to launch flagship events such as "Hangzhou International Day" and "International Organizations Attraction Plan." These efforts have helped Hangzhou to further attract high-quality projects and continuously broaden its international "network of partners." The two sides conducted in-depth discussions in the meeting on topics such as joint development and sharing of sister-city resources, capacity building for foreign affairs personnel, and quality and effectiveness improvement of foreign affairs services.

The last stop of the working group's visit was the Secretariat of UCLG-ASPAC Committee on the Belt and Road Local Cooperation. As the permanent location of the Committee, Hangzhou has leveraged this platform to promote over 200 cooperation projects in areas such as economy and trade, culture and tourism, and education with BRI-related countries. In 2024, cooperation projects worth over 5 billion RMB were signed in the fields of cross-border e-commerce and digital trade. Ms. BAO pointed out that Ningbo, as a key hub city along the Maritime Silk Road, will actively utilize the resources of this platform to promote the in-depth integration of China-CEEC Expo, Ningbo Zhoushan Port International Shipping Cooperation and other projects with the Belt and Road Initiative, thereby achieving more tangible cooperation outcomes.