Shanxi: Working Together with Sister Cities for Development and Creating a Promising Future Through Mutual Efforts

山西省，作为拥有深厚文化底蕴与独特魅力的省份，一直致力于通过文化交流增进国际友谊，其中，以讲好山西故事为特色优势，成为连接中外民心的重要桥梁。近年来，山西以讲好山西故事为特色优势促进中外民心相通，以务实合作为重点内容提升友城间交往水平，以国际友城为主要方向注重提高交往质量，从不同角度、层次和领域，向国际友城深入宣介新时代以来山西省全面深化改革取得的成就，阐释了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想在山西省的成功实践，进一步增进相互理解和友好关系，促进文明互鉴和民心相通。以高层出访来访、太原论坛等重大外事活动为抓手，着力推进与共建“一带一路”国家交流合作。2024年，成功促成山西加入中国--中东欧国家地方省州长联合会，拓展搭建起合作交流平台。

As a province with profound cultural heritage and unique charm, Shanxi Province has always been committed to enhancing international friendship through cultural exchanges. With the distinctive advantage of telling good stories about Shanxi, it has become an important bridge connecting the hearts of the Chinese and foreign people. In recent years, Shanxi Province promotes mutual understanding between Chinese and foreign people by highlighting its distinctive advantage of telling the story of Shanxi well. It focuses on practical cooperation to enhance exchanges between sister cities, emphasizing the improvement of exchange quality with international sister cities as the main direction. From various perspectives, levels, and fields, Shanxi has thoroughly introduced the achievements of its comprehensive deepening reforms since the new era to its international sister cities, explained the successful practice of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Shanxi, further enhanced mutual understanding and friendly relations, and promoted the mutual recognition of civilizations and people-to-people exchanges. By leveraging major foreign affairs activities such as high-level visits and the Taiyuan Forum, Shanxi has vigorously promoted exchanges and cooperation with countries participating in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2024, Shanxi successfully joined the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Association of Provincial Governors, expanding and establishing platforms for cooperation and exchange.

截至目前，山西省已与32个国家的67个地方政府建立了国际友城关系，与57个国家的151个地方政府建立了友好合作伙伴关系。其中涉及共建“一带一路”26个国家的40个国际友城和46个国家的117个友好合作伙伴。

To date, Shanxi Province has established international sister-city relationships with 67 local governments in 32 countries and friendly cooperative partnerships with 151 local governments in 57 countries. Among them, there are 40 international sister cities in 26 countries involved in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as 117 friendly cooperative partners in 46 countries.

重新修订山西国际友好城市工作管理办法，进一步规范和简化国际友城审批流程编制国际友城工作的五年发展规划，为山西省当前和今后一个时期国际友城工作的开展明确了指导思想、基本原则、工作目标、主要任务和保障措施。

Shanxi has revised its management measures for international sister-city work, further standardizing and simplifying the approval process for international sister cities. A five-year development plan for international sister-city work has been formulated, clarifying the guiding ideology, basic principles, work objectives, main tasks, and safeguard measures for the implementation of international sister-city work in Shanxi Province for the current and future periods.

自2010年正式缔结国际友好城市关系以来，晋城市与南非莎拉巴特曼市通过积极互动，以线上连线与线下互访结合等方式保持友好往来，交流合作取得丰硕成果。2024年，莎拉巴特曼市荣获中国人民对外友好协会授予的“对华友好城市优秀伙伴奖”。

Since officially establishing the international sister-city relationship in 2010, Jincheng City and Sarah Baartman District Municipality in South Africa have maintained friendly exchanges through active interactions, combining online connections with offline visits. Their cooperation has yielded fruitful results. In 2024, Sarah Baartman District Municipality was awarded the "Friendship City Award for Outstanding Partnership with China" by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC).

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来源：山西日报

Source: Shanxi Daily