China-US Sister Cities Conference held in east China's Hangzhou ahead of APEC

Transcript

00:00As the world's two largest economies navigate turbulent waters,

00:09another channel remains wide open between cities and people.

00:13Here in Hangzhou, the 7th China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference brings together some 180

00:19participants from 36 U.S. cities across 28 states, one of the largest exchanges in recent years.

00:25The more difficult the China-U.S. relationship becomes, the greater the need for sister cities

00:31to reinforce communication, build trust and advance collaboration.

00:36The event takes place against the backdrop of trade talks in Kuala Lumpur,

00:40where constructive progress is said to have been made.

00:44While global attention turns to the China-U.S. leaders ahead of the APEC summit,

00:48sister city officials are already deep in vibrant discussions on connectivity,

00:52innovation and prosperity. The very themes driving this year's APEC agenda.

00:57Nobody knows what's going to happen on Thursday, but we're all very hopeful

01:01and excited for a positive outcome. And if this conference is an example, it will be very successful.

01:09We will fight decoupling. We will fight to stay together. We will fight to overcome the barriers

01:16that are before us. But we will do that together with the spirit of mutual win-win cooperation,

01:25mutual respect and sustainability for the future.

01:29Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed that the hope, foundation, future and vitality

01:35of China-U.S. relations rest with the people, the youth and local communities.

01:40Exactly what sister city and state partnership bring to life.

01:44I want to commend President Xi and all of the mayors and leaders here in China who have not

01:51only said that's a focus, they've actually shown it's a focus. And so I am grateful to what China

01:59has reached out to do and is continuing to do.

02:02Outside the conference hall, China has opened a door to real business deals and civic projects.

02:07So the opportunity to explore business-to-business relationships, to understand again how you all

02:15are dealing with some of the environmental challenges that exist, I think those are the

02:19ways that these relationships can be helpful to our cities.

02:22We talked to a number of companies that are interested in being present in the U.S. market

02:27and each of us has much more of an incentive to try to strengthen that relationship.

02:31And it tamps down some of the critics who feel that these are one-way deals.

02:36The city of Hangzhou hosted the signing of the first Sino-U.S. joint communique, which

02:42paved way for normalizing relations. And over the past four decades, more than 280 sister

02:49city and state partnership across the Pacific now drive ties.

02:54Now, from the same city where it starts and grows, local leaders from both nations are again

02:59talking, not about rivalry, but about renewal, with a consensus to contribute to the stable,

03:06healthy and sustainable development of bilateral relations.