On October 28, the Commemorative Conference Marking the 40th Anniversary of the Establishment of International Friendly Provincial-County Relations between Sichuan Province and Yamanashi-ken Prefecture was held in Chengdu. Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, met with Kotaro Nagasaki, Governor of Yamanashi-ken Prefecture of Japan. The two jointly attended the conference and delivered speeches.

On behalf of the provincial government, Shi Xiaolin extended a welcome to the delegation from Yamanashi-ken Prefecture and expressed gratitude to those from various sectors who have been committed to developing the friendly relations between the two regions. She said that General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that maintaining and developing friendly and cooperative relations between China and Japan is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, while also contributing to peace, stability, and prosperity in Asia and the world at large. China and Japan are close neighbors facing each other across a narrow strip of water, and Yamanashi-ken Prefecture is one of Sichuan's earliest international sister regions. Over the past four decades, Sichuan and Yamanashi have deepened exchanges through mutual visits, personnel exchanges, and youth training programs, while expanding cooperation in economy, trade, investment, culture, tourism, education, and healthcare. In particular, their mutual support during natural disasters and the pandemic has further strengthened the collaborative ties and friendship. It is hoped that, taking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of friendly relations between the two regions as a new starting point, Sichuan, known as the "Land of Abundance", and Yamanashi, known as the "Home of Mt. Fuji", will give full play to their respective advantages, continuously deepen cooperation in cultural tourism integration, people-to-people exchanges, sci-tech innovation, industrial development, trade, and investment promotion, strive for more fruitful results in the friendly relations, enable the people of the two regions to increase interactions and understanding, and jointly explore the market to achieve win-win development, so as to contribute to promoting a "constructive and stable China-Japan relationship fit for the new era" and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Kotaro Nagasaki extended his gratitude to Sichuan Province and to all those from various sectors who have long supported exchanges and cooperation between the two regions, while also expressing admiration for Sichuan's development achievements. He stated that subnational exchanges, through enhanced mutual visits and deeper understanding between the peoples, contribute to the stability of bilateral relations. International sister provinces/counties represent the most vital partnerships in subnational exchanges. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Yamanashi and Sichuan supported each other by providing epidemic prevention articles, demonstrating solidarity in overcoming the challenges together. The past four decades have witnessed an extensive and robust cooperation between the two regions, with a friendship that has grown stronger over time. Yamanashi-ken Prefecture is actively advancing international exchanges and cooperation in culture, economy, youth engagement, and other fields. We believe that talents with international experience and a broad vision can serve as a bridge between localities and the wider world. The two sides have reached a consensus on carrying out extensive exchanges in such areas as tourism, cultural heritage preservation, forestry, agriculture, culinary culture, healthcare, and youth engagement. The two sides agreed to make people-to-people exchanges the cornerstone for further promoting talent development, deepen practical cooperation continuously, position themselves as pioneers in Japan-China subnational exchanges, and jointly drive the two countries to create new value.

During the meeting, Shi Xiaolin and Kotaro Nagasaki signed a memorandum on deepening practical cooperation between the two places, representing their respective sides. Vice Governor Ren Jingdong read out the congratulatory letter from China's Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao. The Consul-General of Japan in Chongqing Mari Takada delivered remarks.

Also present were Junya Watanabe, Chairman of the Yamanashi Prefectural Assembly, Hu Yuankun, Secretary-General of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, representatives from Yamanashi's government and assembly, members of Yamanashi's business delegation, cultural associations, and youth delegation, representatives from the Consulate-General of Japan in Chongqing and Japanese enterprises and institutions operating in Sichuan and China, leading officials from relevant provincial departments, Sichuan cities or prefectures twinned with Yamanashi-ken Prefecture, and the Sichuan NGO Network for International Exchanges, as well as representatives from various sectors of society, among others.