On May 19, the fourth Shaoxing International Sister Cities Conference with the theme of "working with the world to promote common development" was held in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. There were 31 sub venues around the world, and 19 Shaoxing international sister cities and international friendly organizations attended the conference through video connection. Today's world is undergoing great changes that have not been seen in a century, and the global epidemic has not dispersed. Mankind is a community with a shared destiny. Only by working together can we better meet the challenges. In this context, Chinese and foreign sister cities play an important role in promoting open exchanges. "Sister city relations are an important channel for friendly exchanges between Chinese and foreign places and people, and also an important foundation and strong support for Sino foreign relations." Yuan mindao, Secretary General of the Chinese people's Association for friendship with foreign countries, said in a video speech that since the conclusion of the first pair of Chinese and foreign friendship cities in 1973, the cause of China's international friendship cities has developed vigorously. At present, China has established an international circle of friends and partner network on five continents. We know each other far and near, and thousands of miles are still neighbors. According to Didier Dako, Ambassador of the Republic of Mali to China, cooperation between countries can take many forms. No matter what form it takes, the most important thing is to provide mutually beneficial opportunities for partners. Taking Shaoxing as an example, the Biennial International Sister Cities Conference is an important carrier for the city to deepen exchanges, carry out practical cooperation and seek common development plans with various international sister cities. More than 600 delegations from 78 international sister cities have been invited to participate in the first three sessions of the conference and cooperate with international sister cities in many fields. Sheng Junchun, Secretary of Shaoxing Municipal Party committee, introduced in his speech that Shaoxing is one of the first batch of national historical and cultural cities in China and is named "the cultural capital of East Asia". Over the years, Shaoxing has adhered to the road of open development and urban diplomacy. It has become a sister city with 54 cities in 27 countries and signed memoranda of friendship and exchange with 34 overseas cities. Culture is a bridge for friendly exchanges between international sister cities. According to Xing Huadong, full-time vice president of Zhejiang Provincial People's Association for friendship with foreign countries, culture is easy to resonate in international exchanges, which is also the advantage of Shaoxing in promoting local international exchanges. Wang Chunwan, Ambassador of the Republic of Mauritius to China, said in his speech that Mauritius and Shaoxing have three significant similarities, including wine culture, textile industry and traditional festivals. "I believe this will help promote our partnership." In addition to promoting exchanges and mutual learning among world civilizations, the topic of green and sustainable development has also attracted the attention of mayors of many countries. Nanli City, Japan is the first international sister city concluded by Shaoxing. Ganfu Tanaka, mayor of Nanli City, said in a wired speech that the city is rich in natural resources and has many historical and cultural heritages. The local government is promoting the strategy of sustainable development and hopes to keep the beautiful scenery through circular symbiosis and mutual cooperation. "Dialogue and cooperation between sister cities is an important way to enhance friendship and promote economic and social development." Yoni rihra, deputy mayor of mikaeli City, Finland, said through a connection that Shaoxing is a typical water town, and mikaeli city also has thousands of lakes and clean surface water. "In mikaeli City, people have realized that clean water is of great importance to future generations and even the world. In this regard, we feel a great responsibility." On the same day, Shaoxing and international sister cities jointly released the Shaoxing initiative online and offline, involving close economic and trade cooperation, deepening cultural mutual learning, improving people's well-being and accelerating green development. Among them, all parties proposed to exchange and share environmental protection practices and experiences, actively promote cooperation in green technology, green equipment and green infrastructure construction, accelerate the formation of green development mode and lifestyle, jointly build a beautiful home and protect the beautiful earth. The global epidemic remains the general trend of open exchanges and win-win cooperation. At the scene, Shaoxing signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of friendly exchange relations with epiales, Colombia, and signed 9 projects with some international sister cities. (outlook new era)