Wen Guohui, mayor of Guangzhou, met with Octavi De La Varga, secretary general of the World Congress of Metropolis, and the staff members from the secretariat of the World Congress of Metropolis online on Dec 15.

Pressing issues in area like pushing forward the works of the World Congress of Metropolis and deepening Guangzhou's cooperation with the World Congress of Metropolis were discussed during the meeting.

Wen said that the secretary general and the secretariat of the World Congress of Metropolis have worked well with Guangzhou, as well as have put forward many suggestions since Guangzhou was selected to chair the World Congress of Metropolis on Nov 30.

Guangzhou will team with other member cities of the World Congress of Metropolis to implement the strategic action plan from 2021 to 2023 to improve urban management, push forward opening-up and innovation, deepen friendly cooperation, as well as create more cooperation outcomes.

Wen expressed his hope that the secretariat can continue to support Guangzhou in performing its duty as the chair city, as well as in organizing major events like the 2021 Global Mayors' Forum and the fifth Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation (Guangzhou Award).

De La Varga spoke highly of Guangzhou's contributions to the World Congress of Metropolis. He said that he hopes the World Congress of Metropolis will become stronger and more influential under the leadership of Guangzhou, offering more services for member cities in areas spanning urban management, innovation, and planning.