Participants of the video conference from China and the US. [Photo provided to bjmxsg.com]
Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province and San Antonio in the United States held a video conference on Dec 16 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of sister city relations.
After speaking about Wuxi's social and economic development, Zhao Jianjun, mayor of Wuxi, said that Wuxi and San Antonio have produced fruitful results from a series of exchanges and cooperation over the past decade.
Zhao expressed hopes that the two cities will continue deepening cooperation in industry, technology, medical care, vocational education, and cultural exchanges over the next 10 years.
The mayor of San Antonio Ron Nirenberg noted that Wuxi's development in recent years have been remarkable, and this has boosted his confidence in friendly exchanges between the two cities in the future.
Although Wuxi and San Antonio are thousands of miles apart, they share many similarities, said Nirenberg.
Students from Wuxi and San Antonio sing The Ode to Joy during the video conference. [Photo provided to bjmxsg.com]
Nirenberg added that both sides were built along the river and are thriving because of it. He also expressed hopes that both cities could further strengthen exchanges and cooperation in culture, economy, and sports.
Minister Jing Quan of the Chinese embassy in the United States said at the video conference that over the past 43 years, after China and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1979, 50 provinces and states as well as 234 cities in the two countries have forged friendly ties.
Jing noted that the sister city relations between Wuxi and San Antonio is something other cities from both countries should strive to have.
San Antonio has the 7th largest population in the US and is one of the nation's fastest growing cities. It forged sister city relations with Wuxi in 2012.
Over the past 10 years, the two cities have constantly expanded exchanges and cooperation in culture, economy, technology, and education, and this has helped both cities secure the Innovation Award from the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Sister Cities International of the US.
