Sept 8 – Shanghai Vice-Mayor and Acting Mayor Zhu Zhongming met with a delegation of diplomatic envoys attending the "Explore People-Centered Cities: China's Governance, Global Engagement" program.

Zhu expressed hope that Shanghai and the countries represented by the delegation would deepen exchanges and cooperation in economy and trade, industrial investment, people-to-people exchanges, and tourism.

He encouraged the diplomats to continue supporting Shanghai's development, help high-quality companies invest and establish operations in the city, and encourage and assist more companies to participate in the China International Import Expo. He also hoped they would convey a more vivid and authentic story of Shanghai to help more people understand the city and invest in it.

Aleksandr Viktorovich Chervyakov, the Belarusian ambassador to China, expressed hope for deeper cooperation with Shanghai across various fields. He also called for greater exchanges and mutual learning guided by the people-centered city philosophy, and for joint efforts to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

More than 20 diplomats attended the meeting, including ambassadors to China from Belarus, Latvia, Bangladesh, Cyprus, and Namibia, and consuls general in Shanghai from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Finland.

Sept 12 – Shanghai Vice-Mayor and Acting Mayor Zhu Zhongming met with Bonginkosi Emmanuel "Blade" Nzimande, South Africa's Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, and his delegation.

Zhu noted that China and South Africa share an enduring friendship that has grown stronger over time. He added that the year 2026 marks the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges and that South Africa's role as the guest country of honor at this year's Pujiang Innovation Forum reflects deepening scientific, technological, and people-to-people exchanges between China and South Africa, and between China and Africa more broadly.

Shanghai has long maintained multilevel exchanges with South Africa, and the two sides have carried out fruitful exchanges and cooperation in fields including science and technology, he added.

Zhu called for stronger intergovernmental cooperation in science and technology, closer exchanges and cooperation among innovation entities, and joint participation in multilateral cooperation mechanisms.

He also expressed hope for closer collaboration with South Africa on the innovation, real-world applications, and global governance of AI technology. He welcomed South Africa's continued participation in the CIIE.

Nzimande expressed hope for expanded cooperation between South Africa and Shanghai in scientific and technological innovation and said South Africa could learn from Shanghai's experience in developing its own innovation ecosystem.

He called for deeper exchanges and cooperation in AI, quantum computing, biomedicine, and the construction of science and technology parks and science popularization venues.