Speech by CPAFFC Vice President Hu Sishe at 2014 China International Friendship Cities Conference

Today， we are gathering here to convene the 2014 China International Friendship Cities Conference and the Guangzhou International Urban Innovation Conference. First of all， on behalf of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC)， the China International Friendship Cities Association (CIFCA) and CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin， I’d like to express warm welcome to everyone present.

The China International Friendship Cities Conference， initiated by the CPAFFC in 2008， has been successfully held in Beijing， Shanghai and Chengdu respectively. It has received strong support from Chinese state leaders， local governments of various countries and international friendship-city organizations， and has grown into China’s most influential specialized international forum for studying and discussing international friendship-city activities and conducting exchanges. Today， in Guangzhou， together with over 600 delegates from 56 countries around the world， we are holding our fourth conference. The theme “My City and My Dream”， I think， not only reflects the times， but also corresponds with our original intention in holding the conference.

Now， the Chinese people are making unremitting efforts to realize the Chinese Dream of great renewal of the Chinese nation. Its realization needs support and assistance from people of all countries; moreover， it needs us to carry out extensive exchanges and cooperation with other countries. Entrusted by the Chinese Government， the CPAFFC and the CIFCA coordinate and oversee the work of China’s international friendship cities， encourage Chinese provinces and cities to establish friendship-city/province relations with foreign counterparts， and promote sustainable development of friendship-city work.

At the same time， through holding such international conferences and forums， the two associations are making active efforts to provide an international exchange platform for local governments of China and other countries， strengthening dialogue and understanding， encouraging city innovation and seeking their sustainable development. The dream we are pursuing may be called the “City Dream”. Its realization needs to draw nourishment and wisdom from the Chinese Dream， while creating an important cornerstone for its realization.

The CPAFFC has long been committed to playing a bridging role in local government cooperation between China and other countries. It is one of the founding members of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)， the world’s largest organization at local government level. It has been actively promoting the participation of Chinese local governments， encouraging them to conduct exchanges and cooperation in all fields with other countries. At the Fourth UCLG World Congress in 2013， Chen Jianhua， Mayor of Guangzhou， was elected co-chairman， and Haikou City was chosen to hold the 2014 UCLG World Council Meeting which was successfully convened there on November 26.

I’d like to give a brief account of the development of friendship cities in China. In 1973， Tianjin and Japan’s Kobe established the first international friendship-city relationship， opening an important channel for Chinese local governments to carry out external exchanges and cooperation. Up to now， a total of 475 entities at the provincial and city level have created 2，154 pairings with 1，932 foreign counterparts. In the past four decades， following the principles of stressing friendship， mutual benefit and practical results， the Chinese side has actively carried out friendship-city work by strengthening friendly exchanges with their foreign counterparts. Their cooperation has developed from the initial bilateral to multilateral cooperation and the areas have been expanded from economy and trade to culture， education， urban construction， environmental protection and personnel exchanges. A pattern of external contacts of a wide range and multiple levels has taken shape. International friendship-city activities are playing an irreplaceable role in China’s socialist modernization drive.

In May 2014， President Xi Jinping， when attending the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the CPAFFC， stressed that more efforts needed to be made on the international friendship-city work to encourage exchanges between Chinese and foreign local governments. His words have given us huge support and encouragement. Today， on the basis of summing up the experience in development over the past four decades， we convene this conference to work out the direction of future development of international friendship cities.

To this end， I would like to make the following three-point proposal for future international friendship-city work.

First， to promote the development of friendship cities， we should adhere to mutual understanding between the people of China and other countries. An old Chinese saying goes: “Being friends， it is important to know each other. Being true friends， it is important to understand each other. ”During his visit to Central Asian and Southeast Asian countries in 2013， President Xi put forward the initiatives of developing the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road， i.e. the Belt and Road Initiatives.

One of the priorities is to promote mutual understanding between the Chinese people and those of other countries. At the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the CPAFFC in May， President Xi said， “Affinity between people holds the key to state-to-state relations while mutual understanding holds the key to people-to-people relations”; “Sincerity in such exchanges holds the key to bringing the Chinese people and people of other countries together and bringing about greater mutual friendship， affinity， empathy and support.”

In conversation with my colleagues， I often say that the work we are doing can be summarized simply as “making friends”. Friendship cities are an important channel in this regard. We should make good use of this channel as we can do a lot together. Through establishing friendship-city relations， we can enhance mutual understanding and deepen friendship; we can hold bilateral and multilateral forums on local government cooperation， establish a local government exchange mechanism and mobilize Chinese and foreign local governments to fully participate in exchanges and cooperation; we can increase exchanges of personnel， carry out cooperation in various areas including urbanization and promote practical cooperation; we can step up our efforts to increase student exchanges and through offering scholarships encourage young people to learn each other’s culture and social systems and view differences in a rational way.

Second， to promote the development of friendship cities， we should persist in innovation， which provides an inexhaustible power for human development and progress. In this way， we can raise the quality of friendship cities rather than just increasing their number. In overseeing the establishment of friendship cities， we should proceed from the actual conditions and formulate scientific and effective policies that are more targeted and instructive， and innovate the development model in an overall way.

In local government cooperation between China and other countries， we should encourage both sides to open up more channels and conduct practical cooperation in energy resources， energy conservation， environmental protection， and other areas. We should share our experience in innovation to help each other take the road of development featuring openness， cooperation and sharing.

As to fruits of cooperation， this year we are conducting a thorough study on the exchange activities of more than 2，000 pairs of friendship cities. When we have the first-hand data， we will take steps to remove those friendship cities that exist only in name. This is a means to inject life into friendship cities so that they will be truly “active” and “get started”， so that the fruits of their development will benefit more people.

Third， to promote the development of friendship cities， we should pay great attention to integration of resources. So far， the CPAFFC has founded 46 bilateral and regional friendship associations， and formed friendly and cooperative ties with over 500 non-governmental organizations and institutions in 157 countries， laying a solid people-based foundation for the normal development of relations between China and other countries.

Besides， the CPAFFC has about 500 cities as its members， a number still growing. This is a huge resource for the CPAFFC to carry out external work. To meet Chinese local governments’ need for urbanization and their desire to carry out international cooperation， the CPAFFC， by establishing a number of bilateral and multilateral platforms for local government dialogue， such as China-US Governors Forum， local leaders forum on regional cooperation along the Yangtze River of China and the Volga River of Russia， China International Friendship Cities Conference， BRICS Friendship Cities and Local Governments Cooperation Forum， has created a bridge for effective exchanges and cooperation between China and the relevant countries and regions.

Of course， different cities in China are at different stages of development and have diverse demands for development; thus we have much to do in aiding their economic and social development. This requires us to continue to expand our work， and at the same time pay attention to integrating available resources， give play to comparative advantages， make full use of the mechanisms and the friendship basis that the CPAFFC has established through various channels， and make concerted efforts to propel the growth of friendship cities in a focused way.

Chinese friendship cities have undergone a development of over 40 years， making remarkable achievements. I’d like to express my gratitude to all the friends present here and all those who have made unremitting efforts to its development. There is a Chinese saying: “Share the same views and have a common goal”. Let’s have lofty goals， join hands and work in a down-to-earth way for the sustainable development of international friendship cities and for the building of a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

I wish the conference full success.

Thank You.