SG Lee delivers keynote to mayors at innovation forum in Chengdu

June 13, 2019

CHENGDU – WeGO’s Secretary General delivered a keynote speech on smart cities for mayors and senior officials of 25 cities around the world with relationships with Chengdu, China.

Chengdu, which hosts WeGO’s regional office for East Asia, organized the Innovation Forum for Mayors of International Sister Cities of Chengdu, with the support of WeGO. WeGO Secretary General Kyong-yul Lee spoke alongside representatives from Austin, Daegu, Izmir, Lodz, Maastricht, Merida, and Tel Aviv, and networked with others including Tallinn and Vientiane.

The forum formed part of the 5th Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair (GIEF) in China, hosted by the Chengdu Municipal People’s Government. The annual event seeks to create an innovative environment for the new economy and technology in Chengdu, and this year saw the attendance of over 500 policymakers and corporate representatives from 22 countries.

On the sidelines of the event, WeGO visited the Entrepreneurs’ Exhibition and took part in a study tour to Chengdu’s Planning Exhibition Hall, where Chengdu officials shared their city’s initiatives for transportation infrastructure. SG Lee also met with the mayor of Chengdu, to explore further ways to collaborate on an international scale.

Later, SG Lee separately met with the Deputy Mayor of Dujiangyan and invited him to WeGO’s Executive Committee Meeting (EXCOM) 2019, to be held in Seongnam in October. The city is one of WeGO’s Chinese members and is known for its ecologically friendly tourism and agricultural industries.

Chengdu is a founding member of WeGO and has been serving as a regional office since 2013, supporting the Secretariat in expanding and strengthening its ties with stakeholders
across Asia.