Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng on Friday hailed the significance of sister provinces/states and sister cities paired between the two countries.

Serving as bridges for mutual understanding and trust, the sister relationship has nurtured goodwill between the two peoples and injected vigor into China-U.S. relations, Xie told attendees of the sixth U.S.-China Sister Cities Summit in Tacoma in a video address.

It is the first national, comprehensive event on China-U.S. subnational exchanges held in the United States in five years, and it coincides with the 10th anniversary of the first China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference and the 30th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between the host city, Tacoma, and Fuzhou, he said.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979, China and the U.S. have built 286 pairs of sister relationships at different levels.

"The China-U.S. relationship is still facing grave challenges. We need to pool strength from all to get the relationship better," the Chinese ambassador said.

To boost China-U.S. subnational cooperation, Xie urged both sides to seize new opportunities for openness and cooperation, address new challenges facing subnational exchanges and add new dimensions to sister-city relationships.

"I hope that the two sides can conduct more visits, contacts and exchanges so that, drop by drop, we can thaw the ice of misunderstanding and ultimately form a vast ocean of friendship between the two peoples," he said.

U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns also sent his congratulations to the summit.

"Sister cities' relationships spur investment, expand exchanges in education and culture, and encourage people to learn more about their counterpart cities through tourism," said Burns.

He added that "it is heartening" that so many Americans and Chinese are gathering in Tacoma for "reinvigorating and expanding the people-to-people connections."

A bridge

Sister provinces/states and sister cities are important platforms for promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and the U.S. and important windows for deepening exchanges and cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win results, said Yang Wanming, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, at Friday's summit.

The summit is the first national and comprehensive event on China-U.S. subnational exchanges held in the U.S. in five years and coincides with the tenth anniversary of the first China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference and the 30th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between the host city, Tacoma, and Fuzhou.

Themed "Shared Visions for a Brighter Future," the summit in the port city in the western U.S. state of Washington brought together more than 140 representatives from 14 Chinese provinces and more than 100 representatives from 21 U.S. states to explore shared opportunities, exchange insights and address common challenges affecting communities in both nations.

"The city of Tacoma and the State of Washington are the symbols of friendship between the people of China and the United States," said Yang.

"In the future, we are willing to give full play to the role of the sister city conference as a bridge and link and play a greater role in enhancing mutual trust, strengthening friendship and deepening cooperation between the local governments of the two countries," he added.

Speaking at the summit, Victoria Woodards, mayor of Tacoma, said, "Our sister city relationships allow us to build bridges of friendship and cooperation that transcends borders and brings all of our communities closer together."

"I truly believe that if we can work together to address all the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, we can and we will create a future that is bright and prosperous for every one of our communities," said Woodards.

Tacoma, about 50 kilometers southwest of Seattle, established a sister city relationship with Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province, in 1994. The two cities are celebrating 30 years of ties.

The summit is co-sponsored by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and Sister Cities International, a nonprofit that serves as the national membership organization for individual sister cities, counties and states across the United States.

Five previous sister cities summits were held: 2014 in Washington, D.C.; 2015 in Chicago; 2016 in Nanchang, China; 2019 in Houston; and 2023 in Suzhou, China.

(With input from Xinhua)