Chinese Delegation Visits Luxembourg to Strengthen Municipal, Business Ties

From Saturday 9 to Monday 11 May 2026, a delegation from the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) visited Luxembourg at the invitation of the Syndicat des Villes et Communes Luxembourgeoises (SYVICOL).

The delegation, led by CPAFFC Vice President Yuan Mindao and accompanied by Hua Ning, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Luxembourg, included representatives from the Chinese cities of Zhengzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Changzhou, Ma’anshan and Fuzhou. 

The visit aimed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between Luxembourgish and Chinese local authorities across a range of sectors, including governance, business, culture and tourism.

“This is a delegation from six large cities in China, in return for the visit we made there last April. The idea is to build bridges between local authorities and to encourage exchanges not only between businesses, but also between people,” Emile Eicher, President of SYVICOL, explained to Chronicle.lu. He added that the programme was designed to introduce the Chinese representatives to Luxembourg and European values, including a visit to Schengen to better understand “the spirit of Schengen” and European decision-making processes. Emile Eicher also noted that the visitors showed strong interest in Luxembourgish wines, with further meetings taking place with local producers in Remich.

He further noted that on Sunday 10 May 2026, the group visited the Luxembourg Parliament, where Claude Wiseler, President of the Luxembourg Parliament, presented the functioning of the country’s parliamentary democracy, before being received at Luxembourg City Hall to discuss possible cooperation with Luxembourg municipalities. The Chinese guests were welcomed by the College of the Mayor and Aldermen, including Maurice Bauer, First Alderman of Luxembourg City, with discussions focusing on social policy, housing challenges, urban mobility and municipal finances.

The visit also included the signing of the guest book by Yuan Mindao, followed by official speeches from Maurice Bauer, Yuan Mindao, Emile Eicher and Ambassador Hua Ning. Additional exchanges took place at the National Fire and Rescue Centre (CNIS) and the Luxembourg Fire and Rescue Corps, focusing on Luxembourg’s emergency response system, crisis management and approaches to developing safe and smart cities.

On Monday, the programme continued in Belval with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Pro-Sud municipal syndicate, the Agora Group and the Chinese city of Zhengzhou. The agreement aims to strengthen cooperation in areas such as climate change, energy transition, the redevelopment of former industrial sites and smart city projects. The visitors also toured the Belval site and met representatives of LIST and Luxinnovation.

The visit concluded at the Chamber of Commerce in Luxembourg-Kirchberg, where a matchmaking event brought together more than 100 companies already active in or interested in the Chinese market. “The relationship between Luxembourg and China is dynamic, growing and forward-looking,” said Fernand Ernster, President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce. He highlighted Luxembourg’s strengths in sectors such as finance, logistics, space technologies, digital innovation and sustainability, while describing the event as an opportunity to “start conversations, identify synergies and open doors to new partnerships, new ideas and new collaborations” between Luxembourgish and Chinese businesses and institutions.

During the event at the Chamber of Commerce, participants were also introduced to Luxembourg’s economic and innovation ecosystem by Na Shi, International Affairs Senior Advisor at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, before representatives of the six Chinese cities presented their respective regions and development priorities. The presentations highlighted the scale and economic profiles of the participating cities, with Guangzhou presented as a manufacturing, trade and finance hub with a GDP of about $440 billion (€405 billion), while Shanghai’s Pudong New Area was described as one of China’s leading financial districts with an economy of around $250 billion (€230 billion). Zhengzhou, focused on logistics and electronics, reported a GDP of about $205 billion (€189 billion), while Fuzhou, Changzhou and Ma’anshan were presented respectively as coastal trade, advanced manufacturing and industrial centres.

Speaking at the forum, CPAFFC Vice President Yuan Mindao welcomed the exchanges held during the visit and described the meetings with Luxembourgish institutions and businesses as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation and mutual understanding. He also underlined the role of the CPAFFC in promoting people-to-people relations and friendship between China and foreign partners, stating that the organisation has worked “for more than 70 years” to build connections between communities and institutions.

“We now better understand with whom we can cooperate and which common interests we may have,” Emile Eicher told Chronicle.lu at the conclusion of the visit. He noted that while cooperation between individual small municipalities may be difficult, broader partnerships between groups of municipalities could create new opportunities for future collaboration.