China International Friendship Cities Conference Successfully Held

On November 8th to 9th, 2008, hosted by CPAFFC and CIFCA, China International Friendship Cities Conference was successfully held in Beijing. Xi Jinping, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and then Chinese Vice President attended the opening ceremony and delivered an important keynote speech. About 500 guests including Chinese local government officials and friendship-city representatives from 50 cities of 30 provinces and foreign local government officials, heads of sister-city organizations and friendly personages from 77 provinces/states and cities of 35 countries attended the conference. The conference achieved a complete success.

Vice President Xi Jinping pointed out that China’s development over the past 30 years depended on and will continuously benefit from the reform and opening-up policy. China will firmly adhere to the vigorous reform and opening-up. The rapid growth of friendship-city activities had both benefited from and enhanced China’s reform and opening-up. The Chinese government pays great importance to international friendship-city activities and will actively promote its development. Under the new circumstances, international friendship-city activities need to follow the principle of pursuing friendship, mutual benefits and pragmatic results to actively conduct exchanges and cooperation and further common development.

To commend the outstanding contributions of Chinese provinces and cities in promoting international friendship-city activities over the past 35 years, 27 Awards were granted at the conference, including 10 Awards to Friendship Cities for Exchanges and Cooperation at the provincial level, 15 Awards at the vice-provincial and municipal level and 2 Awards to Friendship Cities for Special Contribution.