Auckland mayor joins global city leaders at Ningbo forum

Officials from 15 countries, including Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and Egyptian local government leaders, met in Ningbo from Nov. 2 to 5 for the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue. The forum produced 14 cooperation agreements and a new consensus aimed at keeping cities open, connected and resilient across trade, education and culture.

Why it matters: - The Ningbo forum brought city leaders together to advance cross-border cooperation at a time when cities are looking for stronger trade, technology and people-to-people links. - The meeting produced 14 signed projects and a new cooperation statement, signaling practical follow-through beyond speeches. - The agenda put port logistics, advanced manufacturing and cultural exchange at the center of urban diplomacy.

What happened: - Wayne Brown, mayor of Auckland, attended the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue · Ningbo in Zhejiang province from Nov. 2 to 5, 2026. - Ahmed Wazeery, secretary-general of Suez Governorate, and Hosam Alkaweesh, Egypt's assistant minister of local development and environment, also took part. - Participants came from 15 countries. - Other attendees included Enrico Ricci of Florence, Said Karimi of Errachidia in Morocco, Aleksandar Kitanski of Pehčevo in North Macedonia, and Sebastian Kovacs of Wiener Neustadt in Austria. - Liu Meng 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, represented international organizations.

The details: - The forum theme was "Openness and Connectivity for Shared Opportunities." - The program included one main mayoral dialogue, two scenario dialogues and three cultural exchange activities. - Delegates visited Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, described as the world's largest port by cargo throughput. - The group also toured Ningbo Yaji Logistics Co., Ltd., Ningbo PIA Automation Holding Corp., Peacebird Group, Dongqian Lake and the Old Bund. - Visitors observed embodied robots being produced in the workshops of Ningbo PIA Automation. - At the main session, 14 cooperation projects were signed across 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 formed 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 keep industrial and supply chains stable and flowing. - Ningbo hosted a seven-section exhibition, "Ningbo and the World," focused on local companies taking the city's culture overseas. - At the Night of Ningbo, classic books selected by Ningbo and visiting cities were added to the collection of Tianyi Pavilion, built in 1561 and recognized as the oldest private library still standing in China.

Between the lines: - The port and factory visits showed how Ningbo is positioning itself as both a logistics hub and a manufacturing showcase. - The mix of mayoral exchanges, cultural programming and signed agreements suggests the forum is built to turn diplomacy into practical city-to-city cooperation. - Joachim Moyse, mayor of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray and vice president of Métropole Rouen Normandie, framed the dialogue as a way to build peace through cooperation. - Moyse said he wanted to bring Ningbo's focus on every social group and people-centered city building back to France.

What's next: - The signed projects and newly established city ties give participants a framework for future exchanges in trade, education, technology and culture. - The Ningbo Consensus is intended to guide continued cooperation among the participating cities. - The forum's emphasis on connectivity suggests more delegation visits and partnership-building could follow.