Chinese President Jiang Zemin wrote an inscription to the three-day event --develop friendly sister-city activities and expand the fields of international cooperation.

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji said in his message to the Conference that the Chinese government has consistently supported international friendly sister-city activities and earnestly called for substantial exchanges and cooperation between local governments of China and those of other countries.

"The cause of solidarity and cooperation among cities, imbued with vigor, promises broad prospects for development," he said.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also sent a message to congratulate the Conference, saying that "This admirable initiative of the CPAFFC is very much in the spirit of the United Nations Charter and its call for tolerance and cooperation among the world's people".

Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao, Vice-Premier Qian Qichen and other senior officials attended the opening ceremony.

Qian said that sister-city activities of China are designed to promote understanding and friendship among people all over the world, and to expand substantial cooperation between cities, as well as to seek common development and promote world peace.

He said that it is a major task of the international community to safeguard peace and promote development, and human beings are facing many new challenges and opportunities along with the relaxation of the international situation and the rapid progress of economic globalization.

Under such circumstances, the Chinese people are willing to work with people of the rest of the world to enhance cooperation and exchanges, he noted.

Qian described urban prosperity and development as a symbol of human civilization, saying that cooperation between cities would help push ahead the progress of human society.

Representatives from more than 120 Chinese cities and their counterparts from 46 countries attended the opening ceremony of the Conference, with a view to discussing new ways and areas of cooperation in the 21st century.

During the conference, the participants will discuss such issues as sustainable development strategy for local authorities, high-tech and urban development, community service, employment and social security system, aging problem and cooperation between different types of civilization.

The Declaration of Local Governments on Peace, Friendship and Cooperation in the New Century was made public in the opening ceremony of the Conference. The declaration was already signed by 183 cities of the world before the Conference.

(CIIC 09/26/2000 )