This portfolio has critically examined my Work-Based Learning experience at the FAO of the Xi’an Municipal People’s Government, focusing on leadership, managerial, and organisational practices within a municipal international relations context. Through direct involvement in projects such as the Cuenca–Xi’an Ceramic Mural Initiative, the Silk Road Cities Roundtable, the International Sister Cities Digital Economy Alliance, and preparatory work for the 2025 Euro-Asia Economic Forum, I gained practical insight into how city diplomacy is designed, negotiated, and implemented at the local government level.

The analysis shows that the FAO possesses considerable strengths in political discipline, protocol professionalism, and representational reliability. These attributes are essential in managing foreign-related work under conditions of high political sensitivity. At the same time, the organisation faces challenges related to procedural rigidity, fragmented coordination, limited institutionalised innovation, and insufficient mechanisms for organisational learning and knowledge retention.

Leadership at the FAO is best understood as a combination of formal authority and informal influence, where transformational aspirations, distributed responsibilities, cross-cultural sensitivity, and adaptive improvisation coexist with hierarchical control. Managerial practices, while grounded in traditional administrative tools, are gradually evolving toward more structured project management approaches, particularly when individuals take initiative to introduce timelines, matrices, and checklists. Organisational tools, including approval systems, protocol structures, and coordination mechanisms, provide stability and control but require modernisation to fully support complex, multi-actor international projects.

My WBL journey has not only deepened my understanding of international relations in practice but has also reshaped my view of what it means to manage and lead within a governmental setting. I learned to navigate hierarchical systems, communicate across cultures and departments, and design small but meaningful managerial interventions to improve clarity and efficiency. The City Diplomacy Strategic Handbook that I developed is both a product of this learning and a proposed contribution to the FAO’s ongoing institutional development.

Ultimately, this portfolio argues that effective city diplomacy requires more than symbolic exchanges or ceremonial events. It depends on the strategic integration of leadership, management, and organisational tools that enable local governments to act as capable, adaptive, and forward-looking actors in international affairs. My WBL experience at the FAO has provided a concrete foundation for this understanding and has equipped me with both the practical skills and critical perspective needed to continue working in the field of international relations and city diplomacy in the future.