The 2026 China International Friendship Cities (Sister Cities) Conference opened on Wednesday (October 21) in Xi`an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. Zhang Qingwei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People`s Congress (NPC), addressed the opening ceremony.

In his remarks, Zhang noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to international sister city engagements. In recent years, cooperation between Chinese municipalities and their sister cities worldwide has yielded fruitful results, injecting enduring and solid momentum into building a community with a shared future for mankind.

He expressed hope that sister cities across the globe will work hand in hand with China to implement the four global initiatives, dedicatedly build liveable cities for their populations, and work with greater sincerity to jointly elevate people`s standards of living.

This year`s conference is convened under the theme "Forging Sister City Partnerships and Jointly Advancing Urban Development." More than 700 delegates representing municipal governments from 16 nations attended the opening ceremony.

Source: Cai, Alim, Wang Haiman | China Media Group (CMG)