WUHAN, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 17 September 2026 – On September 13, the inauguration ceremony of the Optics Valley International Communication Alliance was held. Representatives of 13 founding member companies — including FiberHome, China Construction Third Engineering Bureau, HGTECH, YHKT Entertainment, Huakang Clean and Shenglong Electric — and of more than 100 other Optics Valley enterprises attended the event.

The ceremony was held under the theme “Chasing the Light, Connecting the World.” In recent years, Optics Valley’s innovations have been reaching the world at an accelerating pace. The overseas social media matrix of “Optics Valley of China” has continued to attract attention, and “made in Optics Valley” products such as the Optics Valley Photon sky rail and driverless minibuses have been repeatedly applauded by spokespersons of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, becoming a “calling card for China” in the eyes of overseas netizens. To help companies move from “product export” to “brand export,” Optics Valley has worked with the News & Information Service Center of Xinhua News Agency and other partners to establish the Optics Valley International Communication Alliance, opening international communication resources to Optics Valley companies and providing them with one-stop services such as overseas public opinion response and multilingual content production, so as to serve as a “navigator” for companies going global. As the national news agency of China, Xinhua News Agency has 184 overseas branches and has established cooperative links with more than 2,000 media outlets around the world.

Speaking as a representative of the founding members, Li Lei, vice president of FiberHome, said that FiberHome’s business now covers more than 100 countries and regions, with wholly owned subsidiaries in 36 countries and three overseas optical cable plants in Ecuador, Thailand and Hungary; at its Philippine subsidiary, locally hired employees account for more than 95 percent of the workforce. “We will stay committed to high-quality global expansion and to deepening localized operations, and, with the platform of the Optics Valley International Communication Alliance, we will not only export China’s advanced communication technologies and solutions, but also serve as a bridge for industrial cooperation and people-to-people connectivity between China and the rest of the world,” he said.

Huakang Clean, also a founding member, is a leading enterprise in China’s cleanroom industry. It has made going global a core strategy for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, completed its market layout in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa, and exported mature cleanroom technology solutions. It looks forward to deepening cross-border collaboration and strengthening brand building through the alliance platform.

At the ceremony, a think tank report was released — “Going Global, Competing Worldwide: How ‘Optics Valley of China’ Polishes Its International Calling Card in Service of Building a Strong Nation in Science and Technology — Practices and Insights,” written by Reference News Press · Reference Think Tank. According to the report, leading enterprises represented by the “Seven Stars of Optics Valley” have seen average annual growth in overseas revenue of more than 30 percent. The report sums up Optics Valley’s global communication path as “one strategic direction and ten keywords”: Optics Valley takes serving the building of a strong nation in science and technology as its strategic direction, and adheres to central-local coordination, AI empowerment, going global as a team, and tailored measures for different markets.

The report states that Optics Valley has witnessed and written the confidence and determination of a brand of a strong nation in science and technology going global, and that when the light of “Optics Valley of China” illuminates the global industrial landscape, it conveys the narrative of the times in which China takes part in global competition through technological self-reliance and self-strengthening and shares its opportunities with the world. The report suggests that, for Optics Valley to keep polishing its international calling card in service of building a strong nation in science and technology, three things need to be fully considered: first, elevating the Optics Valley story from “corporate behavior” to a “national narrative”; second, making full use of AI, a global knowledge-service infrastructure, to carry out global communication; and third, moving from “communication empowering industry” to “communication as an industrial capability.”

A training session on overseas communication capacity building was held alongside the inauguration ceremony, with David Wei, founder of Vision Knight Capital, and Cao Yang, deputy director of the International Communication Department of the News & Information Service Center of Xinhua News Agency, invited to give lectures.
 




 

WUHAN, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 23 September 2026 – The Global Mayors Dialogue · Wuhan and the 2026 Wuhan International Friendship Cities Cooperation Conference, held from Sept. 18 to 21, brought together 80 international guests from 24 cities across 22 countries, according to organizers.

At the event, mayors and city representatives from six international sister cities of Wuhan called for closer cooperation in technology, industry, education and culture.

Representatives from Manchester in Britain, Kemi in Finland, Cape Town in South Africa, Yangon in Myanmar, Rzeszów in Poland and Turkistan in Kazakhstan took part in discussions on urban innovation, industrial cooperation and cultural exchange.
 




 
Manchester: a new start after 40 years of friendship

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Wuhan and Manchester.

Shaukat Ali, lord mayor of Manchester, said the city was ready to deepen cooperation with Wuhan in education, culture, youth affairs, innovation and industry.

“Manchester is committed to promoting urban transformation through open cooperation, sharing opportunities, and fostering common development with international sister cities like Wuhan,” he said.

Ali said Manchester had developed from a post-industrial city into an innovation-oriented economy, with a focus on advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, life sciences and green technologies.

He said the two cities could share experience in urban transformation, innovation districts, university-industry cooperation and low-carbon development, while encouraging links among universities, businesses and research institutions.

He also highlighted existing educational and cultural links, including cooperation between Hubei University and Manchester Metropolitan University and exchanges between the Royal Northern College of Music and Wuhan Conservatory of Music.

Kemi: balancing growth with environmental protection

Mikko Koivulehto, chairman of the City Council of Kemi, said the Finnish city sought to balance economic growth with environmental protection.

“We believe that protecting nature and building a prosperous city can go hand in hand,” he said.

Kemi, a port city in Finnish Lapland, has developed industries based on renewable raw materials, clean energy and the bioeconomy. The city is also seeking to expand tourism and improve livability.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the friendly exchange relationship between Wuhan and Kemi. The two cities have cooperated in areas including trade, the circular economy, tourism and youth exchanges.

Cape Town: technology and jobs key to urban transformation

Lungelo Mbandazayo, city manager of Cape Town, said technological innovation, talent development, infrastructure and green renewal were key to Wuhan’s transformation.

Cape Town, a UNESCO City of Design, is seeking to expand its technology and digital sectors while promoting green technology and an inclusive economy.

Mbandazayo said youth unemployment remained a major challenge for Cape Town and that technological development needed to create jobs.

After visiting Wuhan companies and technology facilities, he said Cape Town hoped to deepen exchanges with Wuhan in technology and talent.

Yangon: seeking practical cooperation with Wuhan

Yangon Mayor Myo Myint Aung said the city was looking to Wuhan for experience in smart-city development, digital governance, intelligent transport and urban resilience.

Wuhan and Yangon signed a letter of intent on friendly exchanges and cooperation during the event.

Yangon is developing a long-term plan to accommodate population growth and expand its urban, industrial and transport infrastructure.

During a visit to Wuhan on Sept. 19, Myo toured the Optics Valley “Photon” suspended monorail, HGTECH and a Xiaomi smart home appliance factory.

“We came to Wuhan not just to observe, but to learn and cooperate,” he said, adding that Yangon hoped to develop smart manufacturing and strengthen cooperation in information technology.

Rzeszów: opportunities in aerospace and technology

Rzeszów Mayor Konrad Fijołek said the Polish city hoped to cooperate with Wuhan in aerospace, sensor technology, biodiversity and climate action.

Rzeszów is home to the “Aviation Valley,” a major aerospace cluster in Central Europe.

“Exploring cooperation with Wuhan is the reason I came here,” Fijołek said.

After visiting HGTECH and a Xiaomi smart home appliance factory, he said Wuhan’s automated manufacturing and technologies in sensors and satellite systems had impressed him.

He said cities could help connect universities, businesses and research institutions and promote international cooperation.

Turkistan: five areas for cooperation

Turkestan Mayor Azimbek Pazylbekuly said his city hoped to expand cooperation with Wuhan in tourism and culture, education and science, investment and entrepreneurship, digitalization and innovation, and transport and logistics.

Wuhan and Turkistan signed a memorandum of intent on friendly exchanges and cooperation during the event.

Turkistan, an ancient Silk Road city and a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been developing industries including food processing, textiles, furniture and construction materials.

Pazylbekuly said cooperation between governments, businesses, universities and research institutions could help turn the two cities’ exchanges into concrete projects.

The conference also included friendship-city anniversary celebrations and a signing ceremony for 10 cooperation projects. A digital list of cooperation opportunities and an initiative on international friendship-city cooperation were released.

During their stay, the visiting mayors toured Wuhan’s technology, manufacturing and ecological facilities, including the Optics Valley suspended monorail, a Yangtze finless porpoise conservation center, Xiaomi, HGTECH and Dongfeng Motor facilities.