On 25 June, Consul General Tang Rui paid a courtesy call on Liverpool's newly appointed Lord Mayor, Councillor William Shortall, at Liverpool Town Hall. The two sides held in-depth discussions on further strengthening cooperation across a wide range of fields.

Consul General Tang congratulated Lord Mayor Shortall on assuming office. He noted that China and Liverpool enjoy a longstanding friendship and that, in recent years, the two sides have achieved positive results through practical cooperation in various fields, remaining at the forefront of sub-national cooperation between China and the United Kingdom. The Consulate-General stands ready to work closely with the City Council to further deepen cooperation in such areas as sister-city relations, trade and investment, education, and people-to-people exchanges, thereby taking bilateral cooperation to a new level.

Lord Mayor Shortall said that Liverpool was the first city in the United Kingdom where members of the Chinese community settled. Their diligence and wisdom have earned them widespread respect and recognition. Deepening ties with China has become a key priority in Liverpool's international development strategy and will also be one of the major priorities during his term of office. The City Council is willing to continue advancing practical cooperation across various sectors to achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.