SHENZHEN and Christchurch, New Zealand, signed an agreement on June 10 to establish a sister-city relationship, elevating ties from the friendship and exchange partnership formed in 2015.

“Our cooperation has reached a new level,” Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger said, expressing hope for greater cooperation and mutually beneficial outcomes.

Shenzhen is deepening international engagement through its network of sister cities and friendship and exchange cities, reflecting China’s commitment to mutually beneficial opening-up.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Shenzhen established friendship and exchange ties with seven overseas cities, including Moscow, Vienna, San Francisco and Abu Dhabi. It now maintains sister-city and friendship-and-exchange ties with 95 cities worldwide, more than half of them in APEC economies.

On May 27, a business matchmaking event hosted by Bao’an District drew more than 150 Chinese and German representatives for talks on AI, robotics and industrial cooperation. After watching a robot perform a somersault, Nuremberg Mayor Marcus König invited attendees to RoboCup 2027, which will be held in Nuremberg next June.

Nuremberg was among the first European cities to establish sister-city ties with Shenzhen, nearly three decades ago. The two cities have since cooperated in industry, trade and talent exchange. König called for stronger collaboration in AI, robotics, culture, tourism and sports.

Sister-city ties have also boosted economic cooperation. Shenzhen has attracted international exchange institutions, including the China Representative Office of Bavaria, Germany, and the Quebec Government Commercial Office in Shenzhen. It has also hosted trade events with Houston, Dubai, Barcelona and Rio de Janeiro.

The China-Vietnam (Shenzhen-Haiphong) Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone — Shenzhen’s first overseas zone of its kind — has become a platform for local firms entering Vietnam and the broader Southeast Asian market.

From Dec. 16, 2025, to Jan. 4, 2026, Shenzhen-produced dance drama “Wing Chun” gave 20 performances in Toronto, marking the 10th anniversary of the two cities’ friendship and exchange relationship.

Cultural and people-to-people exchanges have deepened ties between Shenzhen and its partner cities. In May 2024, Shenzhen and San Francisco signed an MOU on friendship and exchange. A year later, they organized a youth exchange camp in Shenzhen, bringing young people from the San Francisco Bay Area to local schools.

“They easily find shared interests, and I can see their connections growing stronger,” said Taylor, one of the group’s leaders.

In 2025, the Shenzhen Foundation for International Exchange and Cooperation partnered with local companies to launch the Green Tech Box project in Lomé, Togo. The project donated foldable, solar-powered prefabricated classrooms and smart teaching equipment to the University of Lomé, introducing local youth to Shenzhen’s green technologies and helping improve their skills.

Futian District has recently opened its Italian and Canadian friendship parks. The former showcases a traditional Italian garden in honor of its ties to Puglia, while the latter evokes a North American landscape inspired by Oakville, “The Oak City.”

Since the start of this year, several Shenzhen districts have expanded their international ties through friendship and exchange agreements with a diverse range of partners — Futian with Abu Dhabi Global Market, Yantian with Santos, Brazil, and Longhua with Kedah state, Malaysia.

These district-level partnerships have boosted exchanges in culture, investment and youth development. Nanshan District organized cultural activities with Tacoma, Washington. The Kedah State Greater Bay Area Investment and Cooperation Office opened at the Shenzhen Longhua International Cooperation Center, while Guangming District signed a memorandum on youth exchanges with Minsk State Linguistic University. These partnerships are creating new opportunities for economic cooperation while deepening people-to-people bonds.(Li Jing)