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Over 200 Chinese cities have set up friendly ties with their counterparts in 108 countries, bringing the total number of twin cities to more than 1,100 pairs.
Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, said the establishment of such kind of relationship was mutually beneficial and provided a channel for broader city-to-city cooperation covering such areas as economy, culture, city construction and personnel exchanges.
He told the just concluded 2002 China (Dalian) International Economic Forum for Friendly Cities here that China's economy had grown steadily over the past 25 years.
Under the West China Development Strategy, economically backward western cities would open up more to the outside world and have more chances for partnerships with foreign cities, Chen said.
The first Sino-foreign twin-city relationship was set up in 1973.
(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2002)
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