The Chinese ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, recently met with Victoria’s mayor, Marianne Alto, to discuss deepening relations between China and the British Columbia capital through the platform of “friendship cities.” This meeting comes at a time when several governments worldwide are severing subnational ties with the communist regime in China.
During the meeting on June 27, the ambassador and mayor exchanged views on developing friendly relations between China and Victoria, as stated in a June 30 press release from the Chinese embassy. Both parties expressed their willingness to utilize friendship cities to enhance exchanges and cooperation in various fields, promote mutual understanding and friendship, and create benefits for both sides.
Victoria currently has twin-city relationships with various cities worldwide, including Suzhou in China, Napier in New Zealand, Morioka in Japan, and Khabarovsk in Russia. However, the city has suspended its sister-city relationship with Khabarovsk due to hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.
The concept of sister cities originated in 1956 when U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower proposed citizen diplomacy partnerships between U.S. communities and foreign cities to facilitate cultural, educational, and business cooperation. In Canada, over 160 cities have sister-city relationships with foreign municipalities, with many twinned with Chinese cities.
China has actively sought twinning relationships with foreign countries since 1973 when Tianjin, one of China’s largest cities, paired with Kobe, Japan. By 2019, approximately 2,600 Chinese municipalities had foreign sister cities or provinces, with hundreds in Europe and the United States.
Chinese sister-city programs have expanded beyond simple exchanges to include economic, cultural, and educational cooperation. However, they have also provided opportunities for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to exert influence overseas. Leaked government documents have revealed certain individuals acting as intermediaries in establishing sister-city programs with other countries, with some reports labeling these programs as part of the CCP’s foreign interference efforts.
The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) manages sister-city programs in China and oversees the China International Friendly City Federation. Although the CPAFFC claims to promote friendship and mutual understanding, it is regarded as an arm of the CCP’s United Front Work Department, responsible for foreign interference.
While sister-city relationships offer mutual benefits such as foreign investments and cultural exchanges, the Chinese regime has also used these programs to advance its global agenda. For instance, China has sought to push its territorial claims over Taiwan through the sister-cities programs. The CPAFFC’s regulations require foreign cities with twinning agreements with Taiwanese cities to adhere to Beijing’s “One China” policy and restrict any discussion of “Two Chinas” or “One China, One Taiwan.”
The CCP has also employed sister-cities programs to advance its geopolitical strategy, particularly through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI aims to establish global partnerships with countries willing to participate, with over 700 twin cities boasting connections to the initiative.
Local governments in democratic countries frequently have power over key issues independent of national authorities, making them susceptible targets for the CCP’s foreign influence campaign through sister-city relationships. For instance, when Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart proposed partnering with Kaohsiung, Taiwan, under a Friendship City Program, the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver criticized the decision and emphasized the importance of upholding the “One China” policy.
In recent years, some cities have terminated sister-city partnerships with Chinese counterparts due to the CCP’s interference and influence activities. Prague, Czech Republic, ended its sister-city agreement with Beijing in 2019 over Beijing’s requirement to adhere to the “One China” policy, subsequently signing a sister-city agreement with Taipei, Taiwan. Similarly, Sweden terminated several twin-city partnerships with China amidst declining bilateral ties after the detention of a China-born Swedish publisher critical of China’s leadership.
As governments worldwide become increasingly aware of the CCP’s interference activities, the future of sister-city relationships remains uncertain. However, the meeting between the Chinese ambassador and the mayor of Victoria signals ongoing efforts to deepen ties between China and the B.C. capital, albeit amidst international scrutiny and growing concerns.
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