Yunnan Provincial People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

November 18th

2024 China International Sister Cities Conference

Opening in Kunming

On November 18, the 2024 China International Sister Cities Conference opened in Kunming. Photo by Lei Tongsu Zhoucan

at the opening ceremony

Introduction by Wang Ning, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee

Yunnan

Rich history, livable ecology and rich resources

There are 26 indigenous ethnic groups living in

Since ancient times, China has faced South Asia and Southeast Asia

The frontier and window for exchanges and cooperation

The Southern Silk Road and the Ancient Tea Horse Road are the precursors of opening up echoing in the majestic mountains.

More than 2,000 years ago, Yunnan's horse caravans "used tea as a matchmaker" to walk on the world-famous Tea Horse Road and opened up the Southern Silk Road. As an important part of the ancient Southern Silk Road, Yunnan is one of my country's oldest international commercial and trade channels leading to Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and even Europe.

More than 600 years ago, Yunnan navigator Zheng He led his fleet on seven voyages to the Western Ocean, covering more than 30 countries and regions in Asia and Africa. Friendship has made an indelible contribution, and the good stories of exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations continue to this day.

Zheng He Cultural Center, Malacca. Photo by Li Wenjun

From the end of the frontier to the frontier of openness, the land of Yunling is intertwined with the pulse of the times.

Yunnan has accelerated the construction of major international corridors for interconnection with neighboring countries and achieved positive results. The main expressway corridor with "seven outbound provinces and five outbounds" centered on Kunming has basically been formed, and the construction of "eight outbound provinces and five outbounds" railway corridors has been accelerated. The layout of air transportation corridors facing South Asia and Southeast Asia has gradually taken shape, the construction of "two out of the province and three out of the country" waterways has been accelerated, and the international transportation corridor has been steadily advanced, providing strong support for Yunnan's construction of a radiation center for South and Southeast Asia.

International sister cities are important carriers and witnesses for Yunnan to build a new pattern of opening up to the outside world. In November 1981, Kunming City and Fujisawa City, Japan, became the first pair of international sister cities in Yunnan Province, kicking off the work of international sister cities in Yunnan.

Over the past 40 years, Yunnan has established 112 pairs of friendly relations with provinces, states and cities in 37 countries on five continents, and has achieved fruitful cooperation results in the fields of economy and trade, education, health, culture, tourism and other fields.

The hearts are close and the minds are connected.YunnanActively explore new models of multi-point interaction relying on international sister cities, friendly villages, etc., and jointly organize a series of "Border People's Gala" series of activities with Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos to create a cultural integration and people-to-people connection in the border areas of Yunnan Province. A new brand of people-to-people diplomacy and a new platform to promote border opening.

As of June this year, a total of 7 border gatherings have been held, with a total of more than 200,000 participants, and more than 50 contracts signed in the fields of humanities, economy and trade, people's livelihood, and friendly relations. At the same time, starting from 2022, more than 140 people's livelihood public welfare projects of the "Heart-to-Heart Connect Yunnan Tour" will be implemented in the surrounding areas, benefiting about 4 million people, enriching the connotation of pragmatic cooperation between sister cities at all levels.

Colorful Yunnan is open, inclusive and diverse. "There is a life called Yunnan" belongs to Yunnan and the world.

Yunnan has a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation

Openness is a distinctive symbol of Chinese modernization. Today's Yunnan aims to build a new high-level opening-up system and is becoming a key link between the domestic market of 1.4 billion people and the emerging markets of South Asia and Southeast Asia with 2.5 billion people.

Yunnan is deeply aligned with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), proactively serving and integrating into Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar, China-Indochina Economic Corridor, China-Laos, China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, Greater Mekong Sub-regional Economic Cooperation and other multi-bilateral Regional cooperation mechanisms, actively promote the construction of bilateral cooperation mechanisms between Yunnan and northern Laos, Yunnan and the five provinces of North Vietnam, and Yunnan and Mandalay, and build 12 multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms with 9 countries.

At present, the province has formed a core port with Kunming International Hub Port as the core, with the key hub ports of Mohan, Hekou and Ruili as the leader, supported by the logistics node ports of Qingshuihe, Houqiao, Tianbao and Guanlei Port, and other ordinary ports and border residents. The "1+3+4+N" port development layout of coordinated development of channels has continuously improved the port's carrying capacity, driving force and radiation power.

Today, more and more foreign friends are coming from all over for "Cloud".

Cultural exchange activities such as "Perception of China's Beautiful Yunnan", "Transnational Spring Festival Gala" and "Beautiful China Colorful Yunnan" continued to be carried out, and sports activities such as the "One Belt, One Road Colorful Yunnan" car rally were exciting; CAEXPO, China International Tourism Fair, and Tengchong Scientists Forum The successful holding of major events such as Global Chinese Businessmen Gathering in Yunnan has further enhanced the influence of Yunnan’s opening up to the outside world.

In 2022, the Yunnan South Asia and Southeast Asia Regional International Communication Center was established, opening a new window for friends from all over the world to understand China. In the exchange of beautiful scenery, food, and culture, Yunnan shook hands with the world frequently.

Yunnan is willing to work with its sister cities to visit each other frequently like "relatives", support exchanges between officials, scholars, youth, and civil society groups, deepen exchanges in the fields of culture and art, radio and television, education and scientific research, and historical heritage protection, and build a More "heart-to-heart bridges" connecting people will make the tree of friendship more luxuriant.

Yunnan is willing to work with sister cities to strengthen cooperation in science and technology, industry, ports, customs clearance, logistics, tourism, etc., support universities, scientific research institutions, and enterprises to carry out joint research, encourage two-way investment, expand trade scale, and build a mutually beneficial industrial chain. supply chain, jointly cultivate new momentum for development, and share new opportunities for open development.

Yunnan is willing to work with its sister cities to strengthen experience exchanges, learn from each other in anti-poverty and reduction, ethnic unity, urban planning, rural governance, digital economy, green and low-carbon development, etc., and work together on the road to modernization to achieve long-term stability The friendly relations and partnerships are transformed into development results that benefit the people of the sister cities and create a better life.