The 8th European Young Leaders' Workshop arrived in Hunan for a five-day visit on August 28, 2026. The delegation consists of youth representatives from multiple European countries, spanning fields such as government, economy and trade, science and technology, the humanities, and education. The trip aims to enhance European youth representatives' understanding of Hunan's economic and social development achievements and youth work outcomes, to strengthen Hunan-Europe friendship, and to support pragmatic cooperation.

The Office of Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee held a welcome ceremony for the delegation. Mai Miao, executive vice president of the Hunan Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, attended and addressed the ceremony. Vice President Mai reviewed the steadily deepening record of collaborative achievements between Hunan and Europe in friendship-city exchanges, economic and trade communication, scientific and technological innovation, and people-to-people exchanges. She highlighted Hunan's strong industrial foundation and its "one low, six good, and one excellent" comprehensive comparative advantages. The vice president expressed her hope that Hunan and Europe will continue to pursue pragmatic cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win results. She also encouraged the youth representatives to serve as communicators, participants, and builders of China-Europe and Hunan-Europe friendship.

Vanja Janjusevic, head of the delegation and chief of staff to the Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro, said that although the delegation members come from different countries, they generally share the belief that European countries with a clear development vision can maintain a good and pragmatic cooperative relationship with China. She expressed great expectations for her upcoming itinerary in Hunan, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of Hunan's experience and achievements in cultural inheritance, educational development, scientific research innovation, and industrial development.

The delegation visited the Airport Block of the Changsha Area of the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone on the same day. They learned about the latest achievements in institutional innovation, airport industrial clustering, and low-altitude economy layout.

During their stay in Hunan, the delegation will also visit Yuelu Academy, Hunan First Normal University, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology Co., Ltd., and CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd. The youth representatives will then hold discussions with Hunan counterparts on topics such as youth development and innovation and entrepreneurship.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: Official WeChat of the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee