Partnerships were consolidated at the Shandong International Friendship Cities Conference for Cooperation and Development, which was held from Oct 15 to 20.

A news conference was held on Oct 22 by the Shandong provincial government to discuss the results of the six-day conference, during which four parallel events, 33 multilateral and bilateral meetings, and working talks were held and 82 agreements were signed.

More than 1,200 guests attended the conference, among which 886 were people from cities and states with strong relations with Shandong, as well as foreign diplomatic envoys and ambassadors to China.

In addition, 28 agreements on partner cities and friendly cooperative relations, 12 on cooperation projects involving investment and talent introduction, and 42 on cooperation intentions among small and medium-sized enterprises were signed.

Cai Xianjin, chairman of the Shandong People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said that this conference has given people from more than 100 cities and regions in 33 countries a better understanding of Shandong and its economic, cultural and social development, laying a solid foundation for the province to further open up to the outside world.

Ambassadors to China from Benin, the Bahamas, and other countries indicated that they wished to establish cooperative relations with Shandong province as soon as possible.

Five goals were agreed upon for the Jinan Initiative adopted at the conference, namely, seeking cooperation and development, promoting people-to-people exchanges, strengthening economic and trade cooperation, enhancing innovation and vitality, and improving people's livelihood. The initiative has charted a direction for the province's future cooperation with partner cities.

It was 40 years ago when Shandong first began forging sister-city relations, and since then the province has been making enormous efforts to engage in exchanges and mutually-beneficial cooperation with its partner cities around the world.

The conference, jointly organized by the Shandong government and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, was designed to enhance comprehensive exchanges and expand cooperation with Shandong's partner cities in a number of areas.

The opening ceremony of the Shandong International Friendship Cities Conference for Cooperation and Development opens on Oct 16 in Jinan, capital of Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Shandong officials, guests from its partner cities and states and foreign diplomatic envoys and ambassadors to China pose for a group photo. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Participants attend in a forum during the Shandong International Friendship Cities Conference for Cooperation and Development.  [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]