Austria, North Macedonia join Ningbo mayors dialogue on global cooperation

Officials from Austria and North Macedonia are among delegates from 15 countries attending the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue in Ningbo, China, from Nov. 2 to 5. The gathering is focused on openness, city-to-city cooperation and new projects in trade, technology, education and culture.

Why it matters: - The Ningbo meeting is bringing city leaders together to push practical cooperation on trade, technology, education and cultural exchange. - The dialogue also produced signed projects and a new consensus aimed at keeping industrial and supply chains open and stable. - The event highlights Ningbo's role as a manufacturing and logistics hub with global reach.

What happened: - Aleksandar Kitanski, mayor of Pehčevo in North Macedonia, and Sebastian Kovacs, a representative of the Wiener Neustadt city government in Austria, joined the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue · Ningbo. - The meeting ran in Zhejiang province from Nov. 2 to 5, 2026. - Officials from 15 countries took part, along with representatives of international organizations and companies. - Participants included Wayne Brown, mayor of Auckland, New Zealand; Enrico Ricci, representative of the mayor of Florence and president of the Economic Development Commission of the city council; and Ahmed Wazeery, secretary-general of Suez Governorate, Egypt. - Hosam Alkaweesh, assistant minister of local development and environment of Egypt, also attended. - Other participants included Said Karimi, mayor of Errachidia, Morocco. - Liu Meng, head of the China Office of the United Nations Global Compact, and Zhou Qiangwu, former vice president and chief administrative officer of the New Development Bank, were among the representatives of international organizations.

The details: - The program centered on the theme "Openness and Connectivity for Shared Opportunities." - The agenda included one main mayoral dialogue, two scenario dialogues and three cultural exchange activities. - Guests visited Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, described as the world's largest port by cargo throughput, along with Ningbo Yaji Logistics Co., Ltd., Ningbo PIA Automation Holding Corp., Peacebird Group, Dongqian Lake and the Old Bund. - At Ningbo Zhoushan Port and at the workshops of Ningbo PIA Automation, where embodied robots are produced, visitors examined how cities can open further and where new opportunities may emerge. - Fourteen cooperation projects were signed at the main session. - The projects covered friendly exchanges, economic and trade cooperation, science and technology, education, and cultural tourism. - Yuyao in Zhejiang and Errachidia in Morocco established friendly exchange relations. - Yinzhou District of Ningbo and Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray in France also established friendly exchange relations. - The Ningbo Consensus on Cooperative Development was released. - The consensus calls on cities to stay open and connected, deepen industrial collaboration, strengthen people-to-people ties, and work together to keep industrial and supply chains stable and flowing. - A seven-section exhibition titled "Ningbo and the World" showcased local companies taking Ningbo's culture overseas. - At the Night of Ningbo, classic books selected by Ningbo and the visiting cities were added to the collection of Tianyi Pavilion. - Tianyi Pavilion was built in 1561 and is the oldest private library still standing in China.

Between the lines: - The visit to port, logistics and automation sites points to Ningbo's pitch as both a gateway city and an advanced manufacturing base. - The cooperation projects suggest the dialogue is designed to move beyond symbolism and into specific bilateral ties. - Joachim Moyse, mayor of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray and vice president of Métropole Rouen Normandie, called the dialogue a round table for building a framework for peace. - Moyse said representatives should sit together and work out that framework when the world makes it easy for people to lose hope. - Moyse added that he hoped to bring Ningbo's attention to every social group and its people-centered urban approach back to France.

What's next: - The cooperation projects and new exchange relationships are likely to shape follow-up ties between Ningbo and visiting cities. - The Ningbo Consensus gives participants a shared agenda for future work on openness, industrial links and people-to-people exchange. - The exhibition and book collection events extend Ningbo's cultural diplomacy beyond the closing of the forum.

The bottom line: - Ningbo used the mayors dialogue to pair city diplomacy with concrete deals, while presenting itself as a global hub for manufacturing, logistics and cultural exchange.