At the China International Friendship Cities Conference 2024 held in Kunming of Yunnan Province from November 18 to 19, Hangzhou was granted the “International Friendship Cities Outstanding Contribution Award” for its great work in international friendship cities and significant contributions to serving national diplomacy and local economic and social development.

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy and based on its own geographic advantages, resource endowments, and historical and cultural characteristics, the Foreign Affairs Office of Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government (Hangzhou People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries) has followed through on the central government’s guidelines and policies on external work and adopted new ideas and paths for the work on international friendship cities to serve national diplomacy and city development. Up to now, Hangzhou has been twined with 31 international cities and maintained friendly exchanges with 45 cities, forming a “circle of friends” spanning the five continents. This helps bring the Liangzhu culture and the Global Digital Trade Expo to the whole world and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations as well as trade and business with other parts of the world.

The secretariat of the UCLG ASPAC Committee on the Belt and Road Local Cooperation (BRLC) is located in Hangzhou. With an eye to advancing Belt and Road cooperation, Hangzhou has continuously improved the platform and expanded exchanges and cooperation with Belt and Road partners. Currently, the BRLC consists of 91 members (cities and institutions) and has five new associate members including the Mongolia “Belt and Road” Co-Development Research Center and the province of Asti in Italy.

Hangzhou has also focused its policies on foreign affairs, foreign trade, foreign investment, and foreign economy to bring in high-quality projects and help high-quality enterprises go global. It has brought into full play the work relating to foreign affairs to support the city’s high-quality development.

The China International Friendship Cities Conference 2024 was co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), the China International Friendship Cities Association, and the Yunnan Provincial People’s Government, and organized by the Kunming Municipal People’s Government. With the theme of “Common Prosperity, Shared Future,” the conference brought together more than 700 dignitaries, mayors, representatives of local government agencies and friendship organizations, experts, scholars, enterprises, and media representatives from 41 countries and territories across five continents. At the conference, city representatives and representatives of relevant organizations from China, Cambodia, Italy, New Zealand, the United States, Zimbabwe, and other countries shared their experiences and practices in various areas such as city governance, economic development, people-to-people exchanges, and international cooperation.