North Macedonia's ambassador to China has pledged to strengthen cultural cooperation with Jingdezhen, the renowned porcelain hub in Jiangxi Province, during a high-profile dialogue event this week. Ambassador Sashko Nasev praised the city's economic revitalization efforts while speaking at the Global Mayors Dialogue, highlighting its unique blend of heritage and innovation.
"Jingdezhen is doing a very good job preserving its identity as the millennium capital of porcelain while building modern tourism infrastructure," Nasev told CGTN's Zhang Meng. The diplomat revealed ongoing discussions to facilitate exchanges between North Macedonian students, writers, and artists with the city's creative community.
Known as the 'Porcelain Capital' since the Song Dynasty, Jingdezhen has recently attracted international attention through projects like the Taoxichuan Art District, which combines historical kiln sites with contemporary design studios. Analysts suggest such cultural diplomacy aligns with broader Belt and Road Initiative goals of people-to-people connectivity.
The proposed exchange program could see North Macedonian artists participate in Jingdezhen's international ceramic residencies, while Chinese porcelain experts may conduct workshops in Skopje. Local authorities confirmed preliminary talks about establishing sister-city relationships with North Macedonian municipalities.
