Besides actively promoting state-to-state friendship, China is also establishing friendly ties at the local level.  

"Promoting friendly relations with foreign cities is an important policy of China's diplomacy," Chen Haosu, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries said in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province Thursday at the a meeting held to promote communication among local governments of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Chen said China has established friendly ties with 220 Japanese cities and 73 ROK cities. The first pair of sister cities was formed in 1973 between China's Tianjin and Japan's Kobe.

The annual meeting, initiated in 1999, was sponsored by China, Japan and the ROK to promote sister city links in the three countries.

Kweon Youngchang, mayor of ROK's Yongju city, said at the meeting that China, ROK and Japan have close relations in terms of geography as well as culture.

"Under the background of the integration of world economy, the local governments of the three countries should improve communication to instill vitality of bilateral cooperation," the mayor said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2003)