From July 18 to 19, 2024, the Sixth China-U.S. Sister Cities Summit was held with a success in Tacoma, Washington, the United States. The summit was co-sponsored by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Sister Cities International (SCI) of the United States. A delegation from Ningxia led by Bai Yuzhen, Director-General of the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office and President of the Ningxia People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, attended the summit and had exchanges with guests from all walks of life in the United States.

The summit, themed “Shared Visions for a Brighter Future”, was held in the United States for the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic. Featuring panel discussions on “Education and Youth”, “Business, Trade and Economic Development”, and “Sustainability and Best Practices”, it has brought together nearly 300 representatives from 14 Chinese provinces and 21 U.S. states to engage in in-depth discussions, experience sharing and cooperation matchmaking. The summit also announced a program scheduled to commence in 2025, which will invite 1,000 American youth to visit China.

In the panel discussion, with the theme of comprehensively promoting sustainable development and accelerating the building of a beautiful, new Ningxia, Bai Yuzhen introduced Ningxia’s efforts in advancing industrial transformation, carbon emission reduction and ecological improvement guided by Xi Jinping thought on eco-civilization and his instructions when visiting Ningxia. She also shared Ningxia’s experience in the sustainable development of modern coal and chemical industries, new materials industry, clean energy such as wind and solar power and hydrogen energy, and specialty industries including wine and goji berry. Bai called for all guests to deepen mutual understanding through friendly exchanges, cement friendship with practical cooperation, and bolster bilateral relations with sub-national interactions, jointly turning the San Francisco Vision into reality. After hearing her presentation, the U.S. attendees expressed a desire to engage in exchanges with Ningxia and showed great anticipation for the region’s wine, culture and tourism industries.

During the summit, the Ningxia delegation availed themselves of various opportunities, including the welcome ceremony and opening session, to meet with important guests from the United States such as Carlo Capua, Chair of the SCI, Amy Tong, Secretary of the California Government Operations Agency, Victoria Woodards, Mayor of Tacoma, Adam Foster, President of the Helen Forster Snow Foundation, Zhou Shuqi, Co-chair of the U.S.-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, and Margaret Wong, Board Member of the California Chamber of Commerce. The delegation have reached consensus with them on promoting sub-national friendship, advancing cooperation in wine and other industries, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges, with a particular focus on youth interactions. Additionally, Bai Yuzhen briefed officials from the CPAFFC and Consulate General of China in San Francisco on the delegation’s visit to the U.S. and exchanged views on deepening sub-national friendship with various sectors of the U.S.