East-West Question丨Global governance, why is there a need for dialogue between mayors?

China News Service, Ningbo, Zhejiang, November 8th. Question: In global governance, why is there a need for dialogue between mayors?

Authors Zhang Bin Tang Yuxian Liu Zilin

Mayors (mayor representatives) from many countries around the world recently held a dialogue next to the production line of a self-made intelligent robot manufacturing company in Ningbo, Zhejiang. The "2026 World Mayors Dialogue·Ningbo" scenario dialogue "Smart Governance and Symbiosis: Technological Innovation Changes the City" was held here.

The same conversation took place at the dockside of Meishan Port Area, Zhoushan Port, Ningbo. Mayors (mayor representatives) from a total of 20 cities in 15 countries discussed global economy and urban governance at ports and workshops with representatives of international organizations and enterprises.

From November 2 to 5, 2026, the "2026 World Mayors Dialogue·Ningbo" event was held in Ningbo, Zhejiang. The picture shows on the 4th, guests learned about the robot production process at a local embodied intelligence company. Photo by Liu Zilin

The change of venue location is not just a formal innovation, it also changes the way of discussing global governance - from stating ideas to real scenes; from country-to-country exchanges to city-to-city integration.

Why is the site needed? Because the current dilemma of global governance often lies not in the lack of consensus, but in the lack of verifiable paths.

Liu Meng, representative of the United Nations Global Compact in China, mentioned that there are still 2 billion people in the world who do not have access to the Internet, accounting for about a quarter of the global population.

Joachim Moise, deputy chairman of the Rouen Metropolitan Region in France and mayor of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, pointed out that the opening of the city must be achieved in a peaceful environment. "Peace is a crucial thing in this volatile and fragile world."

There is a digital divide on one side and a security deficit on the other. The gap between grand issues and implementation capabilities is the most difficult “last mile” in global governance.

Cities are the most basic, closest to people’s livelihood, and most dynamic units in the global governance system. To build a community with a shared future for mankind, we need to find a location in such a unit.

Through the World Mayors Dialogue, it is not difficult to find that Chinese cities provide a wealth of "live events".

Since its first event in 2024, the World Mayors Dialogue has entered more than a dozen cities in China, and more than 200 mayors from more than 100 countries have come to China. It has become a routine practice to move conversations out of the conference room—at the Luoyang event in October this year, three situational dialogues were held in grottoes, workshops, and the ancient city.

On October 10, 2026, mayors and guests from many countries participating in the "2026 World Mayors Dialogue·Luoyang" event visited the ancient city of Luoyi. The picture shows foreign guests tasting local specialty drinks in the ancient city of Luoyi. Photo by Deng Xiaoqiang

The difference in this situational dialogue in Ningbo lies in the orientation of the topics: one talks about the resilience and interconnection of port cities, and the other talks about technological innovation and urban governance. Both focus on the two most pressing issues in global cities at the moment - whether the supply chain is resilient and whether technological dividends can be shared.

Ye Zhili, deputy mayor of Ningbo, said that when it comes to cooperation, many people’s first reaction is funds and equipment, but in Ningbo’s view, the real application scenario is the “most precious and attractive cooperation gift” provided by the local area.

During the dialogue at Ningbo Zhoushan Port, Ningbo Deputy Mayor Yu Fengqing also stated very directly: "We will not seize the leading role of global ports and shipping, but we will serve as a connector of the world shipping network."

He said that Ningbo is willing to transform the practice of the world's largest port into shareable public goods, and turn technology into standardized solutions and common interfaces, so that ports of different sizes and different stages of development can "plug and play."

Not output mode, but open interface. This difference is the shining point of "China Opportunity 2.0".

“In urban relations, both cities have something to teach each other, and no one will be the ‘only smart one.’” The words of Wayne Brown, mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, objectively explain the profound meaning here.

But we also need to realize that the lack of institutional trust is an obstacle to exchanges and cooperation between cities.

Green transformation faces such obstacles. Ningbo Zhoushan Port has built China's first "wind, solar and hydrogen storage" multi-energy integrated complementary project and Zhejiang Province's first "green electricity port", with a clean energy utilization rate of over 70% - but not all ports have the advantage of scale.

Faced with the common needs of improving resilience and green transformation, "joint development" is a natural choice for port cities in many countries. In an interview, Li Fuhao, a member of the Klang Royal City Council in Malaysia, pointed out that Malaysian ports have few wind energy resources but rich solar energy resources. They can learn from the Ningbo Zhoushan Port model to develop clean energy.

Zhou Qiangwu, former vice president and chief administrative officer of the BRICS New Development Bank, suggested that ports in the same region or near the region can unify green standards, jointly purchase green equipment, share operation and maintenance technology, and jointly build green corridors... It is foreseeable that this also means that the dividends of China's scale advantage will be shared with the world, and the threshold for green transformation of port cities will be further lowered.

November 2, Meishan Port Area of ​​Zhoushan Port, Ningbo. Photo by Zhang Bin

On November 3, the "2026 World Mayors Dialogue·Ningbo" main event released the "Ningbo Consensus on Cooperation and Development" stating that in the future, all parties participating in the meeting will adhere to openness, integration, and sharing of opportunities, actively build a new ecology of urban cooperation, enhance understanding and mutual trust between cities, transform cooperation intentions into pragmatic actions, and contribute to the promotion of sustainable development of global cities.

"Only when we come and go often can we communicate with each other, only when we communicate with each other can we understand each other, and only when we understand each other can we integrate and coexist." During the dialogue session of the main event, Shen Mingquan, deputy secretary of the Ningbo Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, said to the mayors (mayor representatives) from various countries participating in the meeting.

Global governance never lacks grand agendas; what it lacks is concrete paths to transform consensus into practice. This is where the value of the Mayors’ Dialogue lies. (over)