Shandong intl friendship cities conference shows strong results

The 2019 Shandong International Friendship Cities Conference for Cooperation and Development (SDIFCC) saw a total of 82 cooperative agreements signed by sister cities both at home and abroad, officials said on Oct 22.

The international event, which was held in Jinan and Qingdao from Oct 15 to 20, gathered over 880 representatives from 33 countries and regions across the world.

The agreements include 28 agreements on partner cities and friendly cooperative relations, 12 on cooperation projects involving investment and talent introduction, and 42 on cooperation intentions among small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Jinan Initiative was released during the conference. According to the initiative, Jinan and its sister cities will continue to deepen mutual cooperation, cultural exchange, foreign trade and innovation.

Aiming to further boost trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between Shandong and the world, the conference hosted diverse activities including forums focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises, culture and tourism promotion.

The International Sister Cities Commodity Exposition was held from Oct 15 to 17 in Jinan and from Oct 17 to 20 in Qingdao, giving people a chance to explore the strengths of each partner city.

A large photo exhibition was also held on the sidelines of the event to showcase partner city relations and major achievements over the years.

Foreign representatives spoke highly of the conference. Kishimoto Takeshi, speaker of the Wakayama Prefectural Assembly in Japan, discussed his childhood relationship with Shandong and expressed hope for more cooperation between the two sides.

Matthew Joseph Marcos Manotoc, Governor of Ilocos Norte province in the Philippines, showed thanks for Shandong's warm reception and said he will make efforts to deepen cooperation in science and technology, agriculture and manufacturing.

At the conference, Jinan and Samarkand, Uzbekistan signed an agreement establishing friendly cooperative relations. To date, Jinan has established 78 foreign sister city relationships and friendly partnerships.

Erkinjon Radjabov, deputy mayor of Samarkand, said his city enjoys rich natural resources and high-quality agricultural products which can be exported to Shandong province. As an important hub along the Silk Road, the city has strong potential in culture, tourism and trade cooperation with Shandong.