US-China sister cities summit held in Washington state

The sixth US-China Sister Cities Summit was held Friday in Tacoma, a port city in western US state of Washington, aimed at deepening friendship and strengthening sub-national exchanges between the two countries.

The summit, themed "Shared Visions for a Brighter Future," is co-sponsored by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and Sister Cities International, a nonprofit which serves as the national membership organization for individual sister cities, counties, and states across the United States.

Featuring panel discussions, keynote addresses and case studies, the summit brought together more than 140 representatives from 14 Chinese provinces and more than 100 representatives from 21 US states, to explore shared opportunities, exchange insights, and address common challenges affecting communities in both nations.

"Sister provinces/states and sister cities are important platforms for promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and the United States, and important windows for deepening exchanges and cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win results," said Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, in his remarks during the summit, noting that "The city of Tacoma and the State of Washington are the symbol of friendship between the people of China and the United States."

"In the future, we are willing to give full play to the role of the sister city conference as a bridge and link, and play a greater role in enhancing mutual trust, strengthening friendship, and deepening cooperation between the local governments of the two countries," he added.

Tacoma, about 50 kilometers southwest of Seattle, established a sister city relationship with Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian province, in 1994. The two cities are celebrating 30 years of ties.

"I truly believe that if we can work together to address all the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, we can and we will create a future that is bright and prosperous for every one of our communities," Victoria Woodards, mayor of Tacoma, said in her speech.

She pointed out that "Our sister city relationships allow us to build bridges of friendship and cooperation that transcends borders and brings all of our communities closer together."

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng noted the "unique importance" of the summit in a video speech.

"It is the first national, comprehensive event on China-US subnational exchanges held in the United States in five years. It also coincides with the tenth anniversary of the first China-US Sister Cities Conference, and the 30th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between the host city Tacoma and Fuzhou," he said.

"The China-US relationship is still facing grave challenges. We need to pool strength from all to get the relationship better," the ambassador said, adding that "The closer subnational exchanges and cooperation are, the more solid the popular foundation for China-US relations will be, and the greater room we will have for taking this relationship forward."

US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns also sent a warm congratulation to the summit.

"Sister Cities relationships spur investment, expand exchanges in education and culture, and encourage people to learn more about their counterpart cities through tourism," said Burns, noting that "it is heartening" so many Americans and Chinese are gathering in Tacoma this week for "reinvigorating and expanding the people-to-people connections."

Five previous sister cities summits were held -- 2014 in Washington, D.C.; 2015 in Chicago; 2016 in Nanchang, China; 2019 in Houston; and 2023 in Suzhou, China.

The establishment of sister city relationship between China and the United States started soon after the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1979, when central China's Hubei Province and the US state of Ohio, and eastern China's Nanjing city and the US city of St. Louis, forged sister relationships.

Forty-five years on, China and the United States have built 286 pairs of sister relationship at different levels.