East China's Jinan, in Shandong Province, welcomed local officials from Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) for the 7th China-CEEC Local Leaders' Meeting. Beyond diplomatic dialogue, many attendees saw the gathering as an opportunity to explore what China's rapid development could mean for their own cities and communities.

'A lot to learn'

For first-time visitors, China's rapid modernization left a strong impression.

"This is my first time visiting China, and I am truly impressed," said Natasha Papakocha from the cabinet of the mayor of Krushevo, North Macedonia. "Everything here feels very different from what I am used to - the cities, the technology, and the culture."

Papakocha told CGTN she was especially interested in China's experience in "city development, infrastructure, environmental protection, and smart solutions."

"I am very impressed by the cleanliness, modern infrastructure, and the speed of development," she said.

Hungarian official Szanto Zsolt, chief of staff of the mayor's cabinet of Bekescsaba, was particularly impressed by China's highly digitalized daily life, from cashless payments to online public and commercial services.

After visiting Chinese cities including Jinan and Shenyang, Zsolt said local governments in Hungary could learn from China's city management and innovation experience.

"A lot to learn. We saw the city management, the traffic control, and the sewage plant. We saw a lot of great ideas, great solutions,"he said.

'We have many things in common'

Beyond economic statistics and media narratives, many officials said their visits also helped them better understand Chinese society and culture.

"The best thing is if someone comes here and sees it," said Zsolt.

Zsolt also underlined the importance of people-to-people exchanges. "We could do student exchange. It helps the young people very much," he said, recalling how young Hungarian entrepreneurs in his delegation were deeply impressed by what they saw in China.

Papakocha said she was impressed not only by China's modernization, but also by the hospitality of the people she has met.

Greek official Savvas Koulouris too highlighted the growing role of educational and cultural exchanges in local cooperation.

Koulouris, vice-regional governor of Greece's Ionian Islands, said the region recently signed a new memorandum of cooperation with Shandong Province, covering product exchanges, cultural activities and tourism promotion.

In 2024, the Ionian University and Beijing Language and Culture University jointly established a Hellenic Sinology Center on Corfu Island, which he described as "the first Sinology cooperation project between Corfu and China."

Koulouris noted that Chinese and ancient Greek civilizations share many common ideas.

"Confucius and Plato, Aristotle and Socrates held the same or similar ideas," he said, adding that "we have many things in common."

'Bringing people closer'

Many officials believe the key to building global connections for shared development starts local, with people, communities and cities.

"Local cooperation is very important because it creates direct friendships and practical cooperation between people and communities," Papakocha said.

She expressed hopes that her city Krushevo could establish a friendship-city relationship with a Chinese municipality in the future.

"I believe this could open many opportunities for cultural exchange, tourism, education, and future cooperation between our communities," she said.

A Serbian mayor also sees local partnerships as an important driver of broader bilateral ties.

"That's something that brings our people together more,"said Novi Sad Mayor Zarko Micin while discussing local level cooperation with CGTN.

He said such cooperation allows people to learn from China's development experience.

"They receive new experiences, they learn new things. They can feel what you did in order to become a country powerful like this," the mayor said.

For CEEC officials attending the meeting, local cooperation is no longer limited to formal agreements. Increasingly, it is becoming a channel for mutual learning, cultural understanding and long-term partnership between China and CEEC.