More than 100 government officials, academics, and think tank experts from the Global South engaged in a series of visits across Shanghai on Dec 3, seeking to gain firsthand insights into China's modernization process and the century-long history of the Communist Party of China, as well as identify potential development pathways suitable for their own countries.

The delegation's itinerary included visits to the Gubei Civic Center in Hongqiao subdistrict in the city’s Changning district, the Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in downtown Huangpu district, and the Shanghai Humanoid Robot Innovation Incubator in Caohejing Hi-Tech Park, offering a multifaceted view of China's governance, history, and technological advancements.

The Gubei Civic Center is one of the first four local legislative outreach offices in the nation and has 60 locations across the country. The center's long-standing efforts to promote public participation in government discussions impressed the visiting delegates.

According to Guo Kai, Party secretary of the Hongqiao subdistrict, the center has gathered input on 113 draft laws, receiving opinions from 47,273 individuals and submitting 5,448 suggestions over the past decade, with 434 of them adopted, demonstrating a commitment to incorporating public sentiment into policy-making.

The Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China also left a lasting impression on many. Houmed M'saidie, a political advisor to the president of the Union of the Comoros, hailed the visit as the highlight of his trip, appreciating the memorial's exhibits and multimedia resources.

The sentiment was echoed by Mahamadou Nouhou Bako, director of the National Center for Strategic and Security Studies of Niger, who documented the oath-taking ceremony of new Party members.

The Shanghai Humanoid Robot Innovation Incubator showcased the city's advancements in artificial intelligence, drawing interest from Bernardo Ndong Edu, a technical expert from Equatorial Guinea's National Council for Economic and Social Development.

He acknowledged the necessity of adapting to global developments in robotics, while Rinan Pokharel, chief executive officer of Foundation of Trans Himalayan Research and Studies, highlighted the importance of creating platforms for equal exchange after observing SenseTime's technological applications.

Source: Shanghai Observer