Officials encourage ‘brotherly’ ties between cities at meeting

Officials and experts from various countries said that exchanges between sister cities are becoming increasingly prominent in today’s turbulent international environment as they help promote mutual prosperity and strengthen people-to-people relations between countries.

They made the remarks at the China International Friendship Cities Conference, which opened in Kunming, Yunnan province, on Monday.

Peng Qinghua, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, said that China highly values ​​the role of international sister cities in promoting subnational cooperation, cultivating friendships and promoting cultural exchanges.

He expressed hope that sister cities will seize opportunities for cooperation, promote innovative development and create projects that benefit communities and contribute to global peace, stability and prosperity.

Since 1973, when Tianjin and Kobe, Japan, signed a friendship city agreement, the first of its kind between a Chinese city and a foreign city, local Chinese governments have formed 3,046 pairs of sister prefectures/provinces and 2,469 prefecture/province sister cities. According to Yang Wanming, chairman of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, sister cities in 147 countries create a vast network of global friends.

Yang, who is also chairman of the China International Friendship Cities Association, said exchanges between sister cities create direct avenues for economic and trade cooperation and facilitate investment activities, including the construction of industrial parks and production bases.

Yang said the agreements lead cities to share expertise on sustainable development, building smart cities and digital governance, which leads to improvements in people’s livelihoods.

Yukio Hatoyama, former prime minister of Japan, emphasized the importance of discussing common prosperity and a common future in a world now full of conflicts and uncertainties. He emphasized that friendly relations between individuals, cities or countries develop through constant interaction and trust building. Hatoyama said forming cliques and excluding others only deepens the divide.

Burundi Senate Spokesperson Emmanuel Sinzohagera said he hopes the African country will learn from its urban development experience and increase the economic and technological development of his country by establishing more sister city relations with China.

Anouphab Tounalom, Vientiane party secretary and chairman of the Laos Vientiane People’s Council, said the world now faces several problems, including instability and economic uncertainty, both regionally and internationally. “In light of these challenges, it is more important than ever that we all come together in unity,” Tounalom said.

Jordi Vaquer, secretary general of the World Association of Major Metropolises, said sister cities are always important because they preserve ties between peoples, even if there are tensions between nations.