Fujian province receives the International Friendship City Award for Outstanding Contribution at a conference in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, from Oct 20 to 22. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Fujian province received the International Friendship City Award for Outstanding Contribution at the 2026 China International Friendship Cities Conference, held in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, from Oct 20 to 22.

Two of its sister-city partners, Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea and the State of Oregon in the United States, each received the Friendship City Award for Outstanding Partnership with China.

The conference brought together more than 700 guests from 61 countries across five continents, representing more than 100 provincial-level regions, over 140 cities, and more than 60 local government and friendship organizations.

Lin Wenbin, vice-chairman of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the closing ceremony as a representative of an award-winning province. He shared Fujian's experiences in international sister-city cooperation, outlining efforts to optimize its network of international partnerships, support head-of-state diplomacy, promote high-quality development, and strengthen people-to-people ties.

Jointly hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the China International Friendship Cities Association, and the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government, the conference honored 20 Chinese provinces and cities for their outstanding contributions to strengthening international sister-city ties. In addition, 40 foreign provinces, regions, and cities were recognized for their active engagement in sister-city exchanges with China.