The ＂Belt and Road＂ Sichuan International Friendship City Cooperation and Development Forum was held on the 15th.

On October 12th, the reporter learned from the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office that with the approval of the State Council, the 2019 Belt and Road Sichuan International Friendship City Cooperation and Development Forum, co-sponsored by the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government and the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, will be held in Sichuan from October 15th to 18th. With the theme of "open cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win", the forum attracted 43 sister city delegations from 32 countries on five continents, including 20 in Europe, 8 in America and Oceania, 13 in Asia and 2 in Africa.

Representatives from provinces and states that have established international friendship cities or friendly cooperative relations with Sichuan Province, officials from some countries in embassies and consulates in China, and mainstream foreign media will attend the forum in Sichuan. The total number of foreign guests will exceed 300, including Teo Bowen, Governor of Limbaugh Province in the Netherlands, Persohin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation, Motolin, Prime Minister of Chuvash Republic in the Russian Federation, Yin Nimi, Supan Li Wu, Thailand, Yin Weichen, and Nepali.

During the forum, five special sub-forums will be held, including the international sister city governors’ forum, energy and infrastructure, science and technology and innovation, "agriculture, rural areas and farmers", trade and logistics, culture and tourism, as well as a series of activities such as photo exhibition, Chinese medicine display and experience. It will also organize international friendship city delegations to visit Chengdu, Meishan, Leshan, Zigong and Neijiang to promote multi-level foreign exchanges and cooperation.

According to the relevant person in charge of the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, this forum is the first "One Belt, One Road" sister city exchange activity sponsored by the local government and the central department in China, and it is also the largest, highest-standard and widest-covered sister city exchange activity organized by the local government, which will promote Sichuan to better integrate into the "Belt and Road" construction. The forum will release the Sichuan Initiative for Cooperation and Development of International Sister Cities. During the forum, the Croatian province of Osijek and Austria’s Upper Austria will sign a memorandum with our province to establish friendly provincial relations; The Biobio region of Chile will sign an agreement with our province to establish friendly provincial relations.(Reporter   Yuan Jing)