On May 21, the 3rd New Zealand-China Mayoral Forum & Festival was held in Chengdu.

The forum was co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and Global Cities New Zealand, and organized by the Chengdu Municipal People's Government. Officials and representatives from ten local governments in New Zealand, including Palmerston North and Hamilton, along with counterparts from Beijing, Sichuan, and other regions in China, engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics such as economy and trade, education, culture, urban governance, and scientific and technological innovation. Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Wang Fengchao, Mayor of the Chengdu Municipal People's Government, Grant Smith, President of Global Cities New Zealand and Mayor of Palmerston North, and Qian Bo, Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs of the Chinese Government, attended and delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. Wang Xiaolong, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, delivered a video address.

Zhu Ming, President of Chengdu University, was invited to attend the forum and delivered a speech as the sole representative from the higher education sector. In his speech titled "Though Mountains and Seas May Separate Us, Our Educational Bonds Bring Us Closer for the Future", Zhu highlighted the educational cooperation between Chengdu University and Hamilton, one of Chengdu's international sister cities. Since the signing of the first cooperation agreement between Chengdu University and the Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand in 2008, the two institutions have facilitated mutual visits of more than 400 faculty and students and jointly cultivated over 1,700 graduates. This collaboration has played a significant role in supporting the establishment of the sister-city relationship between Chengdu and Hamilton. Zhu stated that over the next decade, Chengdu University will continue to promote joint curriculum development and reciprocal faculty training, aiming to nurture cross-cultural talents and advance China-New Zealand educational cooperation to a new level.

During the forum, Paula Southgate, Mayor of Hamilton, announced the establishment of the Hamilton-Chengdu Cultural Exchange Travel Scholarship to Chengdu University. Funded by the Hamilton City Council and the Waikato Institute of Technology, the scholarship will support Chengdu University students in participating in exchange and study programs in Hamilton.

Editor: Min Xiuling  Executive Editor: Lv Jia