Yunnan Province’s international sister city work achieves new success
From November 18th to 19th, the 2024 China International Sister Cities Conference was successfully held in Kunming, with 37 provincial and ministerial leaders and 74 mayors and deputy mayors from 41 countries on five continents, including 66 provinces, states, and 125 cities. More than 700 guests attended the conference, including representatives from 63 local government organizations and friendly organizations, as well as experts, scholars, business and media representatives. Focusing on the theme of "sharing, win-win, and creating a future together," the participants conducted in-depth discussions on urban technological innovation, green development, cultural inheritance, transportation interconnection and other issues, and reached broad consensus.
On November 19, before the closing of the conference, a sister-city friendship and cooperation project signing ceremony and a Chinese-foreign sister city award ceremony were held, commending 20 Chinese provinces and cities and 40 foreign provinces, states and cities. Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and President of the China International Friendship Cities Federation, Liu Hongjian, Member of the Standing Committee of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Kunming Municipal Party Committee, Wang Hao, Vice Governor of Yunnan Province, and Yan Dong, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries attended and received the award Representatives of Chinese and foreign local governments presented awards. Yunnan Province and Kunming City respectively won the "Outstanding Contribution Award for International Sister Cities". Lao Cai Province, Vietnam, a sister city of Yunnan Province, and Vientiane City, Laos, a sister city of Kunming, were awarded the "Outstanding Partner Award for Friendship Cities with China".
“Friends are hard to find across thousands of miles, and the more friends you have, the easier it will be to travel.” In 1981, Kunming and Fujisawa, Japan became the first pair of international sister cities in Yunnan due to the musician Nie Er. 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. In particular, in the face of natural disasters and epidemics, we help each other and overcome difficulties together, and the relationship of "sister-cities and one family" becomes even stronger.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that sister provinces, states and sister cities are important carriers for deepening friendship between people of various countries and achieving mutual benefit and win-win results. In the next step, the Provincial Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries will thoroughly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, work with sister cities to maintain traditional friendship through close exchanges, achieve win-win development through pragmatic cooperation, promote common progress through mutual learning, and join hands on the road to modernization. Advance and continue to write a new chapter in the province's international sister city exchanges.