The Seventh China–U.S. Sister Cities Conference was held on October 25-27, in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, under the theme “Closer partnership for a sustainable future.” Over 180 representatives from various sectors across 36 counties and cities in 28 U.S. states joined alongside delegates from 26 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China, gathered to explore new opportunities for local collaboration and strengthen the friendship between the peoples of China and the U.S. 

Jointly organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and People's Government of Zhejiang Province this year, the conference has, since its inception in 2014, become a key mechanism for promoting China–U.S. subnational exchanges. 

Hangzhou holds a special place in the history of China–U.S. relations. In 1972, during U.S. President Richard Nixon’s visit to China, leaders from both nations met in Hangzhou to finalize the Shanghai Communiqué, which laid the foundation for the normalization of bilateral relations. 

In 1979, Hubei Province and the State of Ohio, as well as Nanjing, Jiangsu Province and St. Louis, Missouri, established the first sister province/state and sister city relationships between the two countries, marking the formal beginning of China–U.S. local cooperation. 

Today, there are 288 sister relationships between Chinese and American provinces, states, and cities, yielding results that benefit both peoples. Hangzhou, an important window of China’s openness, has established sister city ties with Boston and Indianapolis. Since forming its partnership with Boston in 1982, the two cities have deepened cooperation in cultural exchange, education, economic development, urban planning, and youth programs. In 2022, Boston declared May 1 as “Boston–Hangzhou Day” to honor this enduring friendship. 

The conference featured themed forums on educational exchange, urban innovation, sustainable development and case studies of sister city cooperation. 

After the meeting, the “Hangzhou Consensus” was released, calling on insightful people from all walks of life in China and the U.S. to more actively support and participate in sister city cooperation during the period of facing various challenges.  

Memorandum of Understanding, Framework Cooperation Agreement and cooperative program agreements were also signed between local governments, universities and enterprises of the two sides. 

This year’s Honorary Title “Friendship Ambassador” was awarded to Carol Lopez, Chair Emeritus of Sister Cities International.  

Robert Wagner, President of the Oregon State Senate, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Seventh China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on October 27 (COURTESY PHOTO)

Cultural events, including a performance by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the live show Impression West Lake, reflected the shared commitment to enhancing understanding through culture, building the future through education, and driving cooperation through innovation. 

In his opening remarks, Yang Wanming, President of the CPAFFC, emphasized that fostering friendship between the Chinese and American peoples is a great undertaking that draws strength from local communities. 

Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Seventh China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on October 27 (COURTESY PHOTO)

Every city and every individual is a participant in and contributor to China–U.S. relations, Yang said. “The future of our bilateral ties must be built together, step by step, by our peoples.” 

He acknowledged the complex challenges facing China–U.S. relations in recent years but stressed that the more difficult the situation becomes, the more vital it is for sister cities to strengthen communication, mutual trust and cooperation. 

In a video address, Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., described local cooperation as an important pillar of the bilateral relationship. He offered three proposals: Promote mutual understanding and respect to deepen friendship between the two peoples; Consolidate foundations to help stabilize and improve China–U.S. relations; Focus on cooperation to build a sustainable future for both nations. 

Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., delivers a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Seventh China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on October 27 (COURTESY PHOTO)

Xie said poetically, “The gentle waves of Hangzhou’s West Lake and the surging tides of its Qiantang River symbolize sister city relations of two countries, both enduring in warmth and dynamic in vitality.” 

Rob Wagner, President of the Oregon State Senate, noted that his delegation was the most comprehensive to visit China since the pandemic, including bipartisan legislators, business leaders and representatives from health and education sectors. 

He recalled that in 1984, Oregon established one of the first sister-state relationships with Fujian Province. In 2006, the Oregon legislature created the Oregon-China Sister State Committee, the first such legal body in a U.S. state. On June 3 this year, Oregon reaffirmed this vision through the adoption of a Senate Concurrent Resolution, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening ties with China. 

“Its purpose is clear: to ensure that Oregon’s sister state relationship is nurtured, respected, and carried forward for many future generations. It’s not enough to just forge these relationships. We must maintain and secure that they endure,” Wagner said in his address at the opening of the conference. “When our states and cities see each other not just as trading partners but as neighbors and friends, our relationship will truly thrive.” 

Victoria Woodards, Mayor of Tacoma, State of Washington, shared the 30-year friendship story between Tacoma and Fuzhou in Fujian Province. From cultural exchanges to student visits, she said the partnership has benefited countless young people. 

She recalled President Xi Jinping’s 2015 visit to Tacoma, during which he invited 100 local students to visit China. she said it was an experience “changed many lives of students in Tacoma.” 

“We look forward to the next generation of students, entrepreneurs and leaders who will carry these relationships forward. We want them to see the world not as divided by oceans, but as connected by shared opportunity,” Woodards said in her address. 

Subnational cooperation and joint activities have remained both a “reservoir of vitality” and a “stabilizer” in China–U.S. relations. They include the Yangtze–Mississippi River Dialogue, launched in October 2023 to foster practical exchange and build bridges between the two great river basin communities of China and the U.S., the China–U.S. Agriculture Roundtable, cooperation between the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and the San Francisco Bay Area, and many youth exchange programs across both nations, 

As the conference theme underscores, only through “closer partnership” can the two countries jointly build a sustainable future. 

(Reported from Hangzhou)

Copyedited by G.P.Wilson

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