On June 24, 2022, an online foreign users' symposium on brand promotion and influence enhancement of the official web portal of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality (http://english.beijing.gov.cn/) took place and was attended by foreign think-tank experts, senior enterprise executives, senior media workers, overseas students and relevant foreigners from countries such as the US, Ecuador, Germany, Jordan, the Republic of Korea, Nepal, Singapore, Sudan and the UK. The participants shared their experiences from various fields, exchanged ideas and discussed the brand promotion and influence enhancement of the website.

Symposium Held on Brand Promotion and Influence Enhancement of the Web Portal of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality

Launched in late October 2020, the official web portal is focused on the functioning of Beijing as a center for international exchange, and on the development of a service-oriented website providing one-stop multilingual international online services, incorporating such functions as information release, public services, consultation, and communication. This symposium represents another practical measure designed to improve the level of service provided by the website and enhance the international service capacity of Beijing Municipality, following on from the user experience and service improvement symposium held on May 13. 

At the symposium, the foreign participants expressed their appreciation for the launch of the international website and spoke highly of its development progress. They also expressed high expectations for the upcoming English version of the website's WeChat official account, saying that the website features abundant information in multiple languages, with a unique, friendly design style, while the WeChat official account to be launched soon is expected to offer a brand new user experience. Interconnection between the website and its WeChat official account will ensure convenient services for foreign users, along with their sense of belonging in Beijing. 

Based on their impressions and experiences, the participants exchanged ideas and discussed ways of further promoting the brand and enhancing the influence of the website. Also they would like to share it with more foreign friends.

Notably, the foreign participants at the symposium indicated that Beijing is a city of profound culture and history, and an international metropolis with a unique charm of innovation, hoping for more insightful, user-friendly content, as well as additional cultural activities diverse in form and rich in content to attract wider participation. In response to these suggestions, the head of operations of the website said that, while achieving the website-social media interconnectivity, the web portal would further upgrade its content to increase its readability and focus more on people. Going forward, the website would be launching further offline exchange activities, such as salons and cultural festivals, to help deepen foreigners' understanding of Beijing and China, enhance cultural exchange and mutual learning, and foster people-to-people communication. Through this website, more foreigners would feel the charm of Beijing and China.