CHENGDU, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 17 April 2025 - On April 16, the "2025 Chengdu International Friendship Cities Cooperation and Development Forum", hosted by the Chengdu Municipal People's Government and organized by the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chengdu Municipal People's Government, officially kicked off in Chengdu.

This conference was themed on "Hand in Hand, Sharing and Winning Together". Major activities included the opening ceremony, mayor's roundtable, thematic promotion sessions, thematic inspections, as well as multiple bilateral meetings and relevant side events.

To deepen cooperation between Chengdu and the five Central Asian countries in areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure, and culture, Chengdu has established the Central Asia Economic and Trade Promotion Association, which will hold its unveiling ceremony during the conference.

Mr. Dewit, Chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, believed that Chengdu serves as an important gateway for Belgium to access markets in Western and Central China. He remarked: "Chengdu and Belgium have a solid foundation in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors. Sichuan Airlines has opened a number of cargo flights to Belgium, and it is expected to usher in direct passenger flights in the future. In the field of education, universities in the two places should establish closer ties to promote students' exchanges."

As a hub for international exchanges in western China, Chengdu has built a network of 241 "international friendship cities" since it established its first sister-city relationship with Montpellier, France, in 1981. These sister cities have not only facilitated diverse cultural exchanges and interactions with Chengdu, but also injected new vitality into Chengdu's economic development, technological innovation, educational cooperation and other fields.

As one of the best epitomes of the ongoing deepening exchanges and cooperation between Chengdu and the EU, the "2025 Chengdu * European Cultural Season" and the "European Style Street" series of events, organized by the EU Delegation in China, were also held on April 12 in the Chengdu Eastern Suburb Memory Park.

Since its inception in 2017, the "Chengdu * European Cultural Season" has been successfully hosted eight times, forging a bridge of friendship that enhances mutual understanding and cultural exchange between the people of Chengdu and Europe.

In recent years, exchanges and cooperation between Chengdu and EU countries have been continuously deepening. Currently, Chengdu has established international friendship and cooperative relations with 31 cities in EU member states, and there are 11 cargo and passenger routes between Chengdu and the EU. In 2024, Chengdu's import and export volume to the EU reached 142.16 billion yuan.

In February 2025, the signing ceremony of memorandum of friendship and cooperation between Asti, Italy and Tianfu New District, Sichuan, was held in Chengdu. Maurizio Rasero, Governor of Asti Province and Mayor of Asti, Italy, stated that as an important historical and cultural city in Italy and a hub for the wine industry and machinery manufacturing, Asti has vast potential for cooperation with Chengdu in industrial development and scientific and technological innovation.