On 30 March, the launching ceremony for overseas promotional campaigns for the 48th WorldSkills Competition – “Skills Change the World, Skills Light the Future” – was held at the WorldSkills Museum. At the ceremony, the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Executive Bureau and the Shanghai Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese jointly issued an initiative calling on overseas Chinese communities to support the WorldSkills Competition. The Shanghai WorldSkills Organizing Committee presented the Competition flag to the Federation, marking the official start of a series of overseas promotional activities that will span several months.

The 48th WorldSkills Competition will take place in Shanghai from 22 to 27 September 2026. The Executive Bureau says preparations have now entered their final stage, aiming to deliver an event that is “innovative and influential.” The Executive Bureau extended a sincere invitation to overseas Chinese, welcoming them, especially young people abroad, to participate in and attend the WorldSkills Competition, engage with skills development, and serve as“skills ambassadors”connecting China with the world. They are encouraged to promote the WorldSkills spirit and skills culture, helping ensure the successful hosting of the event.

From late March to June this year, a variety of overseas promotional activities will be rolled out. Overseas Chinese associations will receive“overseas promotion kits”containing the Competition flag, mascot, and brochures, and will be invited to support the campaign by sharing their skill stories through greeting videos, offline salons, and other formats. Overseas Chinese groups will also be organized to visit the WorldSkills Museum in Shanghai and interact with WorldSkills participants. Additional WorldSkills-themed events will be held to discuss skills development.

At the ceremony, the Shanghai Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese read the “Initiative Statement” and accepted the overseas promotion kits distributed by the Executive Bureau.

Liu Long, Chairman of the China‑Zimbabwe Exchange Center in Africa, delivered a live sharing session as a representative of overseas Chinese. Drawing on Sino-African cooperation and skills exchange programs, he introduced a series of overseas promotional plans for the Competition and shared local examples of how skills development improves people’s livelihoods.

As one of the key publicity and promotion bases for the WorldSkills Competition, the WorldSkills Museum signed a cooperation memorandum with the Shanghai Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. Over the next two years, the two parties will integrate the Federation’s overseas networks with the Museum’s platform resources to jointly carry out overseas promotional activities, host themed events, and build a talent-exchange platform for skilled workers in overseas Chinese communities, establishing a long-term cooperation mechanism to support the Competition and promote skills culture globally.