Chongqing Continues to Expand the Circle of Friends to Actively Take Advantage of the Friendship Cities

□ Article/ Journalist Hu Rui Tr. by Li Hui

Chongqing Continues to Expand the Circle of Friends to Actively Take Advantage of the Friendship Cities

□ Article/ Journalist Hu Rui Tr. by Li Hui

The Number of Chongqing’s Friendship Cities Has Amounted up to 42

In March 2017, Chongqing and Istanbul City in Turkey have of fi cially become friendship cities. Director of Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal Government, Mr.Wu Kangming has said that the cooperation of Chongqing and Istanbul is based on good foundation. With the industries strongly complementary, both enjoy bright prospects for exchanges and cooperation. The number of Chongqing’s friendship cities has amounted up to 42. The Friendship Cities family of Chongqing has been thriving and prosperous.

During these five years, Chongqing has been continuously increasing the international friendship cities and giving full play to the role of friendship cities to promote multi-faceted development and build a large platform for the opening up of inlands. Chongqing has successively fell into municipal international friendship with seven provinces, states, municipalities including Zurich in Swiss,Chennai in India, Gauteng Province in South Africa, West Java in Indonesia and Minsk in Belaru.

At the same time, all districts and counties in Chongqing have also joined the friendship cities associations and achieved fruitful results.In July 2013, Wulong District and Budva City in the Republic of Montenegro have intended to establish friendship cities association.At the beginning of 2014, Yuzhong District and Santiago County,Beibei District and Santa Fe City in Argentina have established friendship cities association. Jiangbei District and Piacenza City in Italy, Ba’nan District and Sanji City in Niigata Prefecture, Japan have signed friendly relations agreement on China International Friendship Cities held in Chongqing in November 2016. At the 2016 China International Friendship Cities Conference, Chongqing has won the “Special Contribution Award for International Friendship Cities”.Chongqing has been actively taking advantage of friendship cities in developing international friendship cities to service the construction of the “Belt and Road”. Truly, Chongqing is constantly expanding the international circle of friends to promote the friendly exchanges and mutually bene fi cial cooperation in economy, trade,aviation, logistics, culture, education, tourism and other fields to boost the inland opening highland construction of Chongqing.

Join Hands with International Friendship Cities to Achieve Win-win Development

Chongqing has been deepening cooperation with the friendship cities in recent years. In 2012, the total import and export volume of Chongqing to Switzerland has amounted to 94.94 million US dollars, and Switzerland has become one of the major countries for technology sources in the EU. In April 2013, Chongqing and Zurich in Switzerland became friendship cities. The two sides have continued to upgrade cooperation since then. In 2015, the total import and export of Chongqing and Switzerland has reached 140 million US dollars. Chongqing has approved seven foreign-invested enterprises from Swiss. ABB Company and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. with their headquarters in Zurich have achieved pleasing performance in Chongqing; and two companies from Chongqing have also invested in Switzerland. Chongqing and Zurich have deepened mutual economic and trade cooperation and good results have been witnessed in enterprises’ going out and introducing enterprises into Chongqing.

At the China-US Friendship Cities Conference held in Washington on March 26th-28th in 2008, four pairs of Sino-US friendship cities including Wanzhou District and Wayneborough in Virginia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. In June 2015,Chongqing and Valle d’Aosta in Italy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for establishing friendly relations between the two

places, which will further promote the exchanges and cooperation of two sides in economy, trade,tourism and other fi elds.

In May 2015, 22 members of the mayor delegation from the western cities in the United States have paid a friendly visit to Chongqing at the invitation of the US-China Friendship Association. Santa Monica in California and North Las Vegas in Nevada have signed Friendship Cities Intent Letter with Hechuan District, Jiangbei District in Chongqing respectively.Mayor of North Las Vegas, Mr. John Lee said that he was looking forward to the cooperation between Northern Las Vegas and Chongqing in education and meanwhile, he hoped that Northern Las Vegas would become a stepping stone for Chongqing enterprises to enter the US market. At the same time, Santa Monica in California has also signed a letter of intent to establish friendly relationship with Hechuan District, Chongqing.

Representatives from Antwerp (Chongqing’s friendship city) Economic Development Bureau of Belgian visited Chongqing and held talks with the Chongqing Municipal Agriculture Committee on May 10, 2013. The animal husbandry industry in Antwerp is well developed while Chongqing has a great demand for livestock products. Thus,both sides hoped to strengthen cooperation in the import and export of meat products. Chongqing Municipal Agricultural Committee has said that the government would vigorously strengthen friendly relations with friendship city—Antwerp, actively strive for sending a team to participate in the Antwerp Forum, and invite Antwerp to participate in China—Chongqing Agricultural Products Trade Fair in order to provide convenience and assistance for agricultural enterprises from Antwerp to invest in Chongqing.

On May 11, 2015, Chongqing Friendship Association and the Japanese Consulate General in Chongqing jointly have organized the Fourth Chinese and Foreign Baseball Friendly Match in Chongqing Nankai Middle School. The four teams from two sides have carried out two exciting competitions to have enhanced the civil friendly exchanges between Chongqing citizens and Japanese people in Chongqing. Chinese amp; Foreign Baseball Friendly Match has been held for five consecutive years since the beginning of 2010, which has become an important brand of foreign exchange of Chongqing.Chongqing and the Wales government have jointly organized the Opening Ceremony of the Tenth Chongqing-Welsh Week on March 4, 2016 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Chongqing and the United Kingdom becoming friendship cities.On April 11 in the same year, Mayor of Toronto,Mr. John Tory and his delegation have visited Chongqing to participate in the reception party for the 30th anniversary of Chongqing and Toronto becoming friendship cities.

Chongqing has been making frequent exchanges with friendship cities and has achieved numerous results in economy, trade and cultural cooperation in recent years. Chongqing’s joining hands with friendship cities to achieve common development has not only improved the degree of opening up to the outside, but also promoted the international cooperation in various fields. Chongqing has constantly enriched the connotation of exchange and cooperation with international friendship cities by virtue of a variety of exchange activities.