2019 “Belt and Road” Forum for Cooperation and Development of Sichuan International Friendship Cities kicks off in Chengdu

On the morning of October 15, 2019 “Belt and Road” Forum for Cooperation and Development of Sichuan International Friendship Cities kicked off in Chengdu, Sichuan province. More than 300 foreign guests from 43 friendly provinces (states) of 32 countries on five continents attended the opening ceremony.

Peng Qinghua, secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, attended the opening ceremony and gave a speech. Yin Li, deputy secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and governor, presided over the opening ceremony. Xie Yuan, vice chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, gave a speech. Deng Xiaogang, deputy secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee, attended the opening ceremony.

The forum will last until October 18, the series activities of International friendship cities governors forum, special sub-forums on energy and infrastructure, technology and innovation, trade and logistics, culture and tourism, picture exhibition, and Chinese medicine exhibitions and experiences will be held. The Forum will also publish the Sichuan Initiative for the “Belt and Road” Country (Region) Energy and Infrastructure Cooperation, and the “International Friendship City Culture and Tourism Alliance” proposal. In addition, the forum will also organize international friendship city delegations to visit Chengdu, Meishan, Leshan, Zigong and Neijiang in Sichuan to promote multi-level exchanges and cooperation.

In recent years, Sichuan has vigorously implemented a comprehensive open cooperation strategy, firmly grasped the major opportunities for the construction of the “Belt and Road” and continuously expanded the “friend circle” of open cooperation. Sichuan has increasingly frequent exchanges and exchanges with sister cities, and exchanges of high-level visits and economic and trade cooperation. Significant results have been achieved in areas such as cultural exchanges and youth exchanges. So far, Sichuan has established friendly relations with 144 provinces and cities in 45 countries along the “Belt and Road”.

Opening ceremony [Photo by Liu Langtao]

Opening ceremony [Photo by Liu Langtao]