Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Launch International Services Shanghai and Appoint 'International Experience Ambassadors'

Kong Fu'an, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and Executive Vice Chairman of the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, delivers a speech.

On the morning of September 28, two special ceremonies were held in Shanghai for the launch of the International Services Shanghai, a service manual compiled by the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and for the appointment of the "International Experience Ambassadors" respectively. Kong Fu'an, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and Executive Vice Chairman of the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, delivered a speech on site. The ceremony was attended by approximately 40 foreign nationals residing in Shanghai.

Kong spoke of the increasing number of people coming from abroad to work, study, and live in Shanghai as it continued to open up. Over time, he said, they had become integrated into the city as important "family members" of Shanghai, actively contributing to the city's development. This manual aims to provide foreign residents with practical, convenient, thoughtful information services and guidelines to attract even more expatriates to Shanghai, help them find it as a new hometown, and encourage them to stay here for future development.

A wide range of policy-relevant service information of importance to expatriates has been included in the manual through compilation and will be regularly updated, making the manual a practical pocketbook with useful details for those coming to Shanghai to work and live. The manual consists of four sections. The first one named "Shanghai Essentials" provides a comprehensive overview of the city. The second section, "Living in Shanghai", brings together vital information on the procedures for the government services for arrivals in China, useful mini-programs, public transportation, housing rentals, education, healthcare, helplines, weather, and statutory holidays, among others. The third section, "Exploring Shanghai", presents some recommended distinctive cultural venues, travel options, bookstores, international conventions, exhibitions and competitions, shopping options, Internet-popular destinations, and local specialties. The last one, "Service Directory" provides practical websites and English hotlines of various kinds, as well as a list of service institutions providing different services. The manual also includes over 40 illustrations, subway line maps in English, and 36 QR codes with additional service information and guidelines to better meet the diverse needs of Shanghai's expatriates. Providing nearly all sorts of assistance and support a foreigner could need in this city, the manual is expected to become a "Second Passport in Shanghai".

Held at the same time was a ceremony appointing the "International Experience Ambassadors" made up of foreign nationals contributing their own insights and suggestions on various policies, services, and measures based on personal experiences. Serving as the foreign members of the think tank striving to improve the services for expatriates in Shanghai, they will enhance foreigners' exposure to the relevant policies and services provided in the city, ensuring that foreign residents can have their voices heard, their concerns are acknowledged and their needs met.

The Foreign Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government and Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries expressed their hope that the event would better draw foreigners' attention to this new manual and help more expatriates travel to the city with ease and feel more at home in Shanghai. Both institutions also wished to give foreigners more confidence to pursue their own bright future in the city.