The year 2023 marks the 44th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationships between China and the United States, and the 44th anniversary of Nanjing’s friendship with St. Louis, Missouri, United States. From May 23 to 24, a delegation from Jiangsu Province and Nanjing City went to St. Louis to engage in friendship exchanges.

During the delegation’s visit, Jiangsu Province and Nanjing City jointly hosted the Opening Ceremony of Jiangsu-US Sister Cities Exchange Week and the Talk Day Celebrating the 44th Anniversary of Nanjing-St. Louis Friendship. This event was attended by over 80 Chinese and overseas guests, including Fang Wei, Vice Governor of Jiangsu Province; Zhao Jian, Consul General of China in Chicago; Sun Yi, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government; Deng Zhiyi, Member of the Standing Committee of CPC Nanjing Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Nanjing; Bob Holden, former Governor of Missouri and Chairman of the United States Heartland China Association; L. Jared Boyd, Chief of Staff for Mayor of St. Louis; Joel Glassman, former President of the St. Louis-Nanjing Sister Cities Committee; Tim Nowak, Executive Director of World Trade Center St. Louis. Liu Jiandong, Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, chaired the opening ceremony along with Stella Sheehan, Deputy Director of the World Trade Center St. Louis.

In his speech, Mr. Deng Zhiyi said that over the past 44 years of friendship between Nanjing and St. Louis, the people of both places have gained new insights into each other’s cities and countries, and the cooperation between the two sides in such fields as economy, science and technology, and healthcare has been enhanced. The Nanjing-St. Louis Sister City Relationship has set a prime example of sub-national cooperation between China and the United States. Nanjing and St. Louis both thrive on water and are known for their water. It is hoped that both sides will have more pragmatic cooperation around the development along the Yangtze River and the Mississippi River for the benefit of the people, with a view to bringing our friendship to the next level and creating a promising future. Mr. Deng Zhiyi on behalf of Nanjing City presented a dragon boat named “Youning” to St. Louis as a gift, signifying that both sides in the same boat of friendship cooperate for the same aim.