From November 18 to 19, Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), held meetings in Kunming with several distinguished foreign guests attending the China International Friendship Cities Conference 2024. Benjamin Kabikira, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works of Zimbabwe; Khamraev Oybek Nematovich, Deputy Governor of Samarkand Region of Uzbekistan; Lee Brammer, Mayor of Cavendish, Canada; Nakagawa Motonobu, Mayor of Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan; Grant Smith, President of the Global Cities New Zealand and Mayor of Palmerston North, New Zealand; A.Amartuvshin, Deputy Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Carol Robertson Lopez, Chair Emeritus of Sister Cities International; and Andrei Maximov, Director General of All-Russian Union of Cities. All of them came to China for the China International Friendship Cities Conference 2024.
During the conference, President Yang Wanming also had talks with many foreign guests. Among them were Bunchan Sivongphan, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Xieng Khouang Province of Laos; Viengsavanh Siphandone, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Luang Namtha Province of Laos; Maurizio Rasero, Governor of Asti Province and Mayor of the Asti City of Italy; U Bo Htay, Mayor of Yangon, Myanmar; Emil Dr?ghici, President of the Association of Communes of Romania and Mayor of Vulcana-B?i, Dambovi?a County, Romania; and Fabrizio Santoni, Secretary General of the Parliament of Rome, Italy.
President Yang Wanming Meets with Deputy Minister Benjamin Kabikira of Local Government and Public Works of Zimbabwe
President Yang Wanming Meets with Deputy Governor Khamraev Oybek Nematovich of Samarkand Region of Uzbekistan
Yang Wanming welcomed the guests from different countries who visited China for China International Friendship Cities Conference 2024 upon invitation. He highly appreciated the importance the foreign side attaches to friendly relations with China and the contribution it has long made to the development of such friendly relations and the strengthening of subnational cooperation between China and foreign countries. He congratulated the foreign provinces, states and cities on receiving the Friendship City Award for Outstanding Partnership with China and encouraged them to continue to play an exemplary role in further building up popular support for the development of bilateral relations.
President Yang Wanming Meets with Mayor Lee Brammer of Cavendish, Canada
President Yang Wanming Meets with Mayor of Nara City Nakagawa Motonobu
Yang Wanming emphasized the CPAFFC's dedication to better coordinating the work of international sister cities. He noted that the CPAFFC will support countries in strengthening cooperation with relevant Chinese provinces and cities, drive more Chinese and foreign provinces and cities with significant cooperation potential and strong willingness to establish sister city/province relationships, build bridges for cooperation in key areas, including economy and trade, culture, education, tourism, youth exchanges, and facilitate foreign parties in holding promotional activities in China. Yang further highlighted that the CPAFFC stands ready to work with all parties to fully leverage the China International Friendship Cities Conference as a pivotal platform. By playing the unique role of people-to-people diplomacy, the CPAFFC seeks to further deepen friendship, strengthen mutual learning, expand cooperation for common development, and contribute subnational and people's efforts to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
President Yang Meets with Grant Smith, President of the Global Cities New Zealand and Mayor of Palmerston North
President Yang Meets with A.Amartuvshin, Deputy Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Foreign guests expressed their sincere gratitude to the CPAFFC for its warm invitation and extended congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the CPAFFC. They acknowledged the fundamental role of international sister city relations in advancing state-to-state relations and praised the scale and outcomes of this year's China International Friendship Cities Conference. Many foreign representatives expressed a strong willingness to enhance cooperation with China, promote local economic and social development, improve people's well-being, and actively participate in bilateral and multilateral activities organized by the CPAFFC. Several guests hoped to take this conference as an opportunity to establish more sister city (province and state) relations with China and extended invitations to President Yang Wanming to visit their countries when appropriate.
President Yang Wanming Meets with Carol Robertson Lopez, Chair Emeritus of Sister Cities International
President Yang Wanming Meets with Andrei Maximov, Director General of the All-Russian Union of Cities (2nd from left), Anna Diu, Member of the Auditing Committee of the All-Russian Union of Cities and Chairman of the Syktyvkar City Council, Komi Republic, Russia (1st from left), and Vyacheslav Gavrilov, Deputy Mayor of Yaroslavl City, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia (1st from right)
CPAFFC Vice President Yuan Mindao, Vice President Yan Dong, Secretary-General Sun Xueqing, and heads of relevant CPAFFC departments as well as foreign affairs offices (friendship associations) of relevant provinces and cities in China attended the meeting.
