Attendees pose for a group photo before the closing ceremony of the 7th China-US Sister Cities Conference. [Photo provided to ehangzhou.gov.cn]

The 7th China-US Sister Cities Conference, co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government, concluded on Oct 27 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

More than 320 participants from 26 Chinese provinces and 28 US states discussed education, innovation, sustainable development, and sister-city cooperation during the three-day event.

The closing ceremony marked the signing of a series of new partnerships across the education, culture, and business sectors. These include cooperation agreements between Zhejiang Ocean University and Richmond-Zhoushan Friendship Commission, as well as between universities in Zhejiang, Missouri, Tennessee, and Hawaii, further strengthening people-to-people and academic exchanges.

During the ceremony, Carol Lopez, chair emeritus of Sister Cities International, an organization that co-founded the conference's previous sessions with CPAFFC, was awarded the honorary title of People's Friendship Envoy in recognition of her long-term contributions to China-US sister-city cooperation.

CPAFFC Vice-President Shen Xin delivered the closing remarks and released The Hangzhou Consensus, which calls on people from both nations to deepen cooperation and mutual understanding at the local level, particularly in culture, education, and youth exchanges, and to contribute to the steady and sustainable development of China-US relations.

With new agreements signed and shared commitments renewed, the conference concluded as a milestone in strengthening subnational collaboration and friendship between the two countries.

Carol Lopez, chair emeritus of Sister Cities International, shows her medal of recognition at the event. [Photo provided to ehangzhou.gov.cn]