Internal working platform of Yunnan Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries

On October 15, the launching ceremony of the "Heart to Heart Yunnan Trip" 2024 Yunnan International Sister Cities Youth Exchange Week and Yunnan International Sister Cities Photo Exhibition, hosted by the Yunnan Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, was held in Kunming. Zhang Bairu, director of the Provincial Related Work Committee, heads of the Provincial Local Chronicle Office, the Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League, and Yunnan University for Nationalities, Bondang Basapadi, Consul General of Laos in Kunming, Huang Mingshan, Consul General of Vietnam in Kunming, Mohammed Ka, Consul General of Bangladesh in Kunming Lude, officials from the consulates general of Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia in Kunming, more than 100 foreign youths from 20 countries, and about 200 Chinese and foreign youth representatives from Yunnan University for Nationalities attended.

Zhang Bairu introduced "There is a Life in Yunnan" and the situation of Yunnan's international sister cities and people-to-people diplomacy. He said that in recent years, Yunnan Province has focused on the platform of international sister cities and friendship organizations, and carried out institutional exchanges of youth visits and exchanges with Japan, South Korea, the United States, Thailand and other countries, which has established a platform for mutual learning, mutual understanding and mutual understanding between the people of various countries. bridge. It is hoped that young people from sister cities in various countries can serve as little envoys to enhance friendship, disseminators of mutual cultural learning, and practitioners of people-to-people exchanges, and contribute their youthful energy to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Bundang Basapadi delivered a speech on behalf of the Consulates General of the seven countries in Kunming. He said that international sister cities are an important platform for friendly exchanges and pragmatic cooperation, and are bridges and bonds of peace, friendship, understanding and cooperation. Yunnan Province organized this The International Sister Cities Youth Week event is timely, not only allowing young people from different countries to have an in-depth understanding of the developing Yunnan, but also creating opportunities to enhance friendship among young people from various countries and sowing the seeds of "friendship" in their hearts.

Aiden Cronin, a student at the "Flying Tigers Friendship School" International Leadership School in Texas, USA, expressed the hope that young people from all countries can keep an open mind and be willing to listen and learn from each other. I believe that the Yunnan International Sister Cities Youth Exchange Week will bring many unforgettable moments, fresh perspectives, and more importantly, lifelong friendships across cultures.

Yui Sanhei, a student at Hanamakikita High School in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, said that we look forward to communicating and interacting with young friends from more than 20 countries, experiencing the charm of Yunnan’s cultural diversity up close, and sharing every touch and every moment we get from Yunnan. The harvest is brought back to Iwate Prefecture and shared with more Japanese teenagers.

At the launching ceremony, Zhang Bairu and the heads of relevant provincial departments presented flags to five groups of foreign youth representatives respectively. Zhao Zengkun, director of the Provincial Local Chronicle Office, taught the "first lesson of the camp" to let foreign youths get to know Yunnan for the first time before entering Yunnan. Chinese and foreign guests and young people visited the Yunnan International Sister Cities Photo Exhibition to gain a comprehensive understanding of Yunnan Province’s international sister cities and people-to-people diplomacy.

The 2024 Yunnan International Sister Cities Youth Exchange Week will be held in Yunnan from October 14 to 19, 2024. The theme of the event was "Experience a Life in Yunnan". More than 100 young people from 25 international sister cities and friendly organizations in 20 countries participated. The event started and ended in Kunming. Youth groups from various countries were organized to visit and study in five routes including Kunming, Honghe, Dali, Lijiang, and Pu'er, and immersed themselves in the unique charm of Yunnan Province's green development, ecological livability, national unity, and diversity and tolerance.

The Yunnan International Sister Cities Photo Exhibition is co-sponsored by the Provincial Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles. It will be displayed at the Yunnan Literature and Art Museum from October 15, 2024 to October 15, 2025. The exhibition is themed "Yunnan·There is a kind of friend called a sister city" and consists of 8 chapters: Preface, Asia, America, Europe, Oceania, Africa, "Heart-Connected Yunnan Trip" Yunnan, and Conclusion. It focuses on the exchanges and cooperation results between the international sister cities of Yunnan Province, as well as the "Heart-to-Heart Yunnan Tour" people's livelihood public welfare project and the "Border Residents' Gala", "Bright Tour", "Love Yunnan", "Gateway Diplomacy", youth exchanges, and border friendship Village and other people-to-people diplomacy brand activities.