The sixth U.S.-China Sister Cities Summit was held Friday in Tacoma, a port city in western U.S. state of Washington, aimed at deepening friendship and strengthening sub-national exchanges between the two countries.

The summit, themed "Shared Visions for a Brighter Future," is co-sponsored by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and Sister Cities International, a nonprofit which serves as the national membership organization for individual sister cities, counties, and states across the United States.

Featuring panel discussions, keynote addresses and case studies, the summit brought together more than 140 representatives from 14 Chinese provinces and more than 100 representatives from 21 U.S. states, to explore shared opportunities, exchange insights, and address common challenges affecting communities in both nations.

"Sister provinces/states and sister cities are important platforms for promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and the United States, and important windows for deepening exchanges and cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win results," said Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, in his remarks during the summit, noting that "The city of Tacoma and the State of Washington are the symbol of friendship between the people of China and the United States."

"In the future, we are willing to give full play to the role of the sister city conference as a bridge and link, and play a greater role in enhancing mutual trust, strengthening friendship, and deepening cooperation between the local governments of the two countries," he added.

Tacoma, about 50 kilometers southwest of Seattle, established a sister city relationship with Fuzhou, capital of East China's Fujian province, in 1994. The two cities are celebrating 30 years of ties.

"I truly believe that if we can work together to address all the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, we can and we will create a future that is bright and prosperous for every one of our communities," Victoria Woodards, mayor of Tacoma, said in her speech.

She pointed out that "Our sister city relationships allow us to build bridges of friendship and cooperation that transcends borders and brings all of our communities closer together."

Five previous sister cities summits were held -- 2014 in Washington, D.C.; 2015 in Chicago; 2016 in Nanchang, China; 2019 in Houston; and 2023 in Suzhou, China.

The establishment of sister city relationship between China and the United States started soon after the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1979, when central China's Hubei Province and the U.S. state of Ohio, and eastern China's Nanjing city and the U.S. city of St. Louis, forged sister relationships.

Forty-five years on, China and the United States have built 286 pairs of sister relationship at different levels. 

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