On July 24, the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Sister City Relationship between Shanghai, Shenyang, and Chicago was successfully held in Chicago. Mayor Johnson of Chicago and Deputy Mayor Li Yiqun of Shenyang delivered written and video speeches respectively. Over 200 attendees included Deputy Mayor Meritt of Chicago, Deputy Secretary-General Liu Ping of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, Consul General Wang Baodong, State Senator Hunter of Illinois, and representatives from various local sectors.

Consul General Wang briefed on China’s development achievements and the current state of China-U.S. relations, noting that the 40-year-old sister-city relationship between Shanghai, Shenyang, and Chicago has become an important example of sub-national cooperation between the two countries. Currently, China and the United States have established 286 pairs of sister provinces/states and sister cities, building a vital bridge for people-to-people connections and mutually beneficial cooperation. He expressed hope that both sides will leverage their complementary advantages to jointly write a new chapter of win-win sub-national cooperation.

Mayor Johnson, Deputy Mayor Li Yiqun, and Deputy Secretary-General Liu Ping expressed their anticipation for the continuous expansion of friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between the cities, hoping to further develop the sister-city relationships in the next 40 years.