The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Local Government Cooperation and International Sister Cities Dialogue was held in Fuzhou from October 16 to 19. About 100 foreign guests from 24 countries and regions gathered in Fuzhou to renew friendship and discuss about cooperation.

On October 17, the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Local Government Cooperation and International Friendship Cities Dialogue opened at the Fuzhou Strait International Convention and Exhibition Center, in which discussions were made on various topics, including global governance, high-quality development of the marine economy, industrial collaboration and inter-park linkage, culture and tourism integration and joint efforts on urban branding. Gathered together, guests from both home and abroad exchanged opinions on local governance and explored ways to achieve pragmatic cooperation.

On October 18, visits by guests attending the dialogue began as scheduled. Hundreds of guests from both home and abroad paid separate visits to cultural landmarks and industrial parks in Fuzhou to experience first-hand Fuzhou’s history and culture that can date back to more than 1,000 years and to gain a clearer knowledge of an open and inclusive Fuzhou in the new era. Routes in the visits had different themes, including cultural tourism, urban construction and industrial development. As a result, guests could try to discover the key to development of Fuzhou from multiple dimensions and gain a profound knowledge of the unique charm of this gateway city along the Maritime Silk Road.

In the event, local government officials and representatives from such countries as Cambodia, Ghana, Romania, Brazil and Slovenia, and persons in charge of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) shared their insights and visions for cooperation between Fuzhou and the Maritime Silk Road from their respective city’s practices and aspirations, thus injecting new expectations for the efforts to renew friendship among cities and develop the Maritime Silk Road.

As the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Local Government Cooperation and International Friendship Cities Dialogue concluded, cities bonded together by people-to-people exchanges and mutual trust, despite a long distance, co-witnessed the plain but unchangeable truth that the Maritime Silk Road will ultimately pave a solid foundation for unimpeded people-to-people exchanges.

(Text by Qian Jiayi, Photo by Zheng Hang)