Zhan Decun, director of the foreign affairs office of the Guangzhou municipal government and secretary-general of the Asia-Pacific Region of the World Association of the Major Metropolises, met with Jordi Vaquer, the new secretary-general of the World Association of the Major Metropolises, via a video conference on May 6.

Zhan congratulated Vaquer on his appointment as secretary-general, reviewed the 29-year history of friendly exchanges between Guangzhou and the Metropolis, as well as affirmed the positive role played by the association as a multilateral exchange platform for international cities.

"The Guangzhou Award and Global Mayors Forum jointly established by Guangzhou and the World Metropolis Association and other partners have become important public platforms for global cities to promote the United Nations sustainable development goals and governance innovation," said Zhan.

Zhan added that Guangzhou looks forward to continuing to cooperate with Metropolis in the future to promote innovative practices of urban governance in Guangzhou and around the world.

Vaquer expressed thanks to Guangzhou for its leading role in the association, as well as Guangzhou and other Chinese member cities for their full participation and outstanding contributions to the association's affairs over the years. He emphasized that he looks forward to continuing to work with Guangzhou to achieve new fruitful results.

Kuang Changping, vice chairman of the Guangzhou People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, also attended the conference.

Zhan Decun meets Jordi Vaquer, the new secretary-general of the World Association of the Major Metropolises, via a video conference on May 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]