Jinan, September 9 (Sun Tingting) The 25 World Sister Cities Forum and Sister Province and State Leaders Conference opened in Jinan, Shandong Province on the 2023th. Envoys from more than 25 countries and regions, including China, Germany, Canada and South Africa, leaders of international sister cities and experts and scholars in related fields, gathered in Qilu to explore development opportunities, establish exchange mechanisms and achieve pragmatic results on topics of general concern to all countries, such as green city construction, energy transformation and environmental protection.

The Bahamas' ambassador to China, Paulet Bethel, said that as an island nation with more than 700 islands, the country is seriously threatened by rising sea levels and extreme natural disasters. "We remain committed to green development and low-carbon living, putting carbon reduction and adaptation plans on the agenda by launching the Blue Carbon Credit Program." According to Paulet-Bethel, one of the country's islands is also fully solar-powered.

The 2023 World Sister Cities Forum and Sister Province and State Leaders Conference opened in Jinan, Shandong Province on the 25th. Alan Wendy, Governor of the Western Cape Province of South Africa, addressed the meeting. Photo by Sun Tingting

Alan Wendy, Governor of South Africa's Western Cape, said that as a major agricultural province in South Africa, the Western Cape is facing natural disasters such as typhoons, droughts and floods. "Coal accounts for more than 90% of our energy system, which is a significant contributor to global warming." Alan Wendy said that in the process of energy transition, the province attaches importance to investing in clean energy such as solar and wind energy.

In the energy transition, replacing coal with low-emission energy sources such as wind, solar energy and gas is the experience shared by Wu Xuan Sheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Da Nang Municipal Party Committee and chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. He cited ground-based solar power as an example that Da Nang City focuses on the development of ground-based solar power generation by using production land and land that no longer has economic development value. "We combine high-tech agriculture with farms with rooftop solar to add development value to the same land area."

The 2023 World Sister Cities Forum and Sister Province and State Leaders Conference opened in Jinan, Shandong Province on the 25th. Yan Dong, vice president of the Chinese Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, spoke at the meeting. Photo by Sun Tingting

Yan Dong, vice president of the Chinese Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said in his speech that green development is not only a prominent feature of Chinese-style modernization, but also adds more "Chinese green" to the earth, benefiting both China and the world. This forum focuses on topics such as green city construction, energy transition, and environmental protection that countries are concerned about, and provides a platform for local governments to discuss and cooperate and share experience.

"At present, the world economic recovery is weak, the geopolitical situation is tense, global climate change is facing urgent challenges, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is off track." Chen Yuming, vice president of the China Public Diplomacy Association, said that in the face of many difficulties, establishing a sense of a community with a shared future for mankind and promoting the construction of an open world economy is the way to solve the problem. "Standing at a new historical starting point, the work of international sister cities will certainly play an important role in making the great practice of a community with a shared future for mankind more vivid and exciting."

The 2023 World Sister Cities Forum and Sister Province and State Leaders Conference opened in Jinan, Shandong Province on the 25th. Lin Wu, Secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Photo by Sun Tingting

Lin Wu, Secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, said in his speech at the opening ceremony that Shandong is willing to work with sister cities to jointly build a "community" of industrial cooperation, deepen cooperation in scientific and technological innovation and industrial development, strengthen cooperation in ports, customs clearance, ports, logistics, etc., promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and at the same time expand green and low-carbon "new space", carry out cooperation in energy conservation and environmental protection, clean energy, and climate change, so that people can enjoy the beauty of nature, life and life in green waters and mountains.

On the same day, Shandong Province and the Western Cape Province of South Africa jointly signed a memorandum of understanding on further strengthening friendly and cooperative relations. Representatives of 10 pairs of provinces, states and cities, including Shandong Province and Baoqi Prefecture of Nigeria, Jinan City and Rostov City of Don River in Russia, Zaozhuang City and Karakol City in Issyk-Kul Prefecture in Kyrgyzstan, Jining City and Dominica Rosso City, and Tai'an City and Robnia City in Moscow Region of the Russian Federation signed a good agreement.

The 2023 World Sister Cities Forum and Sister Province and State Leaders Conference opened in Jinan, Shandong Province on the 25th. 10. Representatives of provinces, states and cities will sign a contract. Photo by Sun Tingting

In addition, with the support and joint efforts of sister provinces, states, sister cities, relevant departments at home and abroad, the conference gathered consensus and formed eight practical achievements, including the "Initiative of the International Science and Technology Innovation Alliance for Green and Low-carbon Development of Renewable Energy", "The Initiative of Building a Small Satellite for Greenhouse Gas Detection", "Action Initiative for Green and Low-carbon Development of Urban and Rural Construction" and "Jinan Initiative for Green Transportation Cooperation and Development".

Co-sponsored by the People's Government of Shandong Province and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the conference took "Green Development and Low-carbon Life" as the theme, including more than 20 activities such as the opening ceremony and plenary meeting, the collective meeting of sister provinces and states, the roundtable dialogue of international sister cities, bilateral and multilateral talks, exchanges and matchmaking meetings in the fields of education, economy and trade, Jinan in international sister cities, intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, and cultural performances. (End)