Experts discuss city development at int'l sister-city meeting

Chinese and foreign experts met here Wednesday to discuss cooperation between Chinese cities and their foreign counterparts.

Over 700 officials and scholars from about 50 countries attended the 2010 China International Friendship Cities Conference in Shanghai. They were expected to discuss topics ranging from tackling the financial crisis, environmental protection, creating a low-carbon economy to the use of new energy.

Sister cities relations have provided an important platform for bilateral and multilateral exchanges and cooperation among different nations, said Yu Zhengsheng, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, when addressing the opening ceremony of the conference.

The sister-city conference, with the theme of better cities through cooperation, will last three days.

Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that China hoped to exchange experience on city development with other countries.

Since 1973 when Tianjin, China, and Kobe, Japan, became the first sister cities, 1,717 sister city relationships have been formed between China and 126 countries. The areas of their cooperation include politics, economy and trade, culture, education, environmental protection and city construction.

Source: Xinhua