On November 11, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) held a press conference to announce the upcoming China International Friendship Cities Conference 2024. Sun Xueqing, Secretary-General of the CPAFFC; Wang Yu, Full-Time Vice President of the Yunnan Provincial Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries; Wang Ya, Member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Kunming Municipal Committee and Deputy Mayor of Kunming; and Zhang Zhenxing, Deputy Director-General of the General Office of the CPAFFC, attended the event to provide details about the conference and answer questions from reporters. Sun Liang, Deputy Director-General of the General Office and Spokesperson of the CPAFFC, presided over the press conference.
The China International Friendship Cities Conference 2024 is scheduled to take place in Kunming, the capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province, from November 18 to 19. With the theme "Common Prosperity, Shared Future", the conference will be co-hosted by the CPAFFC, the China International Friendship Cities Association (CIFCA), and the People's Government of Yunnan Province, and organized by the People's Government of Kunming Municipality. The event is expected to bring together approximately 700 participants, including representatives from more than 60 provinces and states, 120 cities, and over 60 local government or friendship organizations The conference will feature an opening ceremony, thematic forums, and four parallel forums on the following topics: namely, "Technology Innovation for Building Smart Cities", "Urban Green Development for Public Well-Being", "Reserving Urban History and Culture", and "Interconnected Transportation for Building a Shared Urban Future". Additionally, more than 20 agreements are expected to be signed, cover the establishment of new sister-city relationships and cooperation projects. Kunming Initiative will also be issued, calling on sister cities and local governments to further strengthen solidarity, deepen cooperation, and promote mutual support. To further encourage exchanges between Chinese and foreign local governments, the CPAFFC and the CIFCA have recognized 20 Chinese provinces and cities with outstanding achievements in international friendship city work, along with 40 foreign provinces, states, and cities that have actively engaged in exchanges with their Chinese counterparts. These entities will be honored with the International Friendship City Award for Outstanding Contribution and the Friendship City Award for Outstanding Partnership with China.
International sister cities play a vital role in fostering people-to-people exchanges, promoting mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation, and facilitating cultural and civilizational dialogue. They are instrumental in building a community with a shared future for mankind, advancing Chinese modernization, deepening cultural exchanges between China and the world, and strengthening people-to-people ties. Since China established its first international sister city partnership in 1973, 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China, along with 541 cities, have formed 3,046 sister-city and sister-province/state relationships with 602 provinces/states and 1,867 cities in 147 countries, creating a global network of friends and partners spanning five continents.
The CPAFFC is a national people's organization of China specializing in people-to-people diplomacy. It is responsible for guiding, coordinating, and managing the establishment and development of international sister-city relations between China and foreign countries. Founded by the CPAFFC in 1992, the CIFCA is a national social organization dedicated to developing international sister-city partnerships, promoting practical cooperation, and serving local development, while adhering to China's independent foreign policy of peace. Provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the State government, and cities in China that have forged sister-city relationships with foreign countries are all members of the CIFCA. Over the years, the CPAFFC and the CIFCA have actively supported Chinese and foreign local governments in establishing sister city relations and fostering practical cooperation in areas such as economy, science and technology, culture, education, and youth exchanges. These efforts have played a significant role in supporting China's overall diplomacy and advancing local socioeconomic development.
The China International Friendship Cities Conference is China's largest and highest-level institutional event on sister cities. Jointly initiated by the CPAFFC and the CIFCA in 2008, the conference is held biennially in principle.
The CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee, the People's Government of Yunnan Province, the CPC Kunming Municipal Committee, and the People's Government of Kunming Municipality have attached great importance to the preparation of this year's conference. A preparatory mechanism and a special task force have been established, with efforts focused on finalizing the program, designing the conference outcomes, defining responsibilities, generating a positive public opinion environment, and ensuring the security for the event. Preparations for the conference are progressing smoothly across all fronts.
