On the afternoon of October 16, the 2018 Silk Road Business Leaders (Zhangjiajie) Summit produced new results. The founding meeting of the Silk Road Sister Cities Collaboration (hereinafter referred to as the Collaboration) and the first Zhangjiajie International Tourism Forum was held. Representatives from 49 international sister cities and states and 3 Chinese cities signed an agreement, and the Collaboration was announced. Liu Ge'an, Deputy Secretary of the Zhangjiajie Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, was elected as the first rotating chairman. Liu Ge'an then chaired the first Zhangjiajie International Tourism Forum. The collaboration is a thematic working mechanism between cities in the “Belt and Road” countries and regions jointly initiated and established by the Silk Road International Chamber of Commerce and the China Friendship Promotion Association. It is committed to promoting economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges among member cities, especially promoting the coordinated development of tourism and other industries among cities, and promoting the establishment of sister city-states among member cities.
At the first Zhangjiajie International Tourism Forum, Dr. Jin Nanxi of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs gave a keynote speech, Lithuanian Ambassador to China Ina Macuronita and representatives from more than 10 cooperative member cities, including Ternopil Oblast in Ukraine, Star City in Russia, Montegnana in Italy, Langray in Australia, and Feneshlitkai in Hungary, gave special speeches. They said, "I am very honored to join this collaboration and welcome partners from all over the world to communicate, develop tourism and win more cooperation."
Guo Zhenggui, Secretary of the Zhangjiajie Municipal Party Committee and Director of the Municipal People’s Congress Standing Committee, made a concluding speech at the first Zhangjiajie International Tourism Forum. Guo Zhenggui said that the establishment of the collaboration and the convening of the International Tourism Forum have established a platform for economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges among countries along the Silk Road, promoted cultural exchanges and civilizational learning between Silk Road cities, and promoted industrial interaction and development interoperability among Silk Road sister cities. As the first rotating chairman city of the cooperation, Zhangjiajie City will always adhere to mutual benefit and win-win, and continue to create a new pattern of equal dialogue and sincere cooperation; it will always insist on looking high and long-term, and continue to build a new platform with broad channels and a wide range of fields; it will always adhere to simplicity and efficiency, and continue to build a new mechanism for information sharing and pragmatic use; it will always adhere to harmony and symbiosis, continue to meet new partners who are sincere, friendly, compatible and integrated, and truly turn the cooperation into a win-win cooperation platform among cities along the Silk Road.
Liu Ge'an said in his speech after being elected as the first rotating chairman that Zhangjiajie City, as the place where the cooperation was established and the first rotating chairman city, will be committed to the sustainable development of cities and play a good role as an interconnection platform for the cooperation; it will be committed to economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges, and play a good role as a bridge link for the cooperation; it will be committed to its own construction, actively explore aspects such as tourism development, tourism poverty alleviation, and tourism internationalization, accelerate the construction of an international quality tourism city, and build the resident institutions into Zhangjiajie's window for external exchanges and a platform for cooperation. Zhangjiajie City will work with the member cities of the collaboration to promote exchanges and cooperation among the "Belt and Road" cities, jointly tell the "Belt and Road" story, share the "Belt and Road" dividends, and write a new chapter in the "Belt and Road" friendly city cooperation and development.