A Shared Journey Across the Pacific — On the 30th Anniversary of the Sister-City Relationship Between Fuzhou and Tacoma
On the 24th, Tacoma visitors visited the photo exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Fuzhou and Tacoma. (Photo by Reporter Zou Jiahua)
Nothing, not even mountains and oceans, can separate people with shared goals and vision. In November 1994, with the backing of Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee, the coastal city of Fuzhou in southeastern China formally established a sister-city relationship with Tacoma, Washington, across the Pacific. Over the past three decades, the two cities have worked together, strengthening their friendship and deepening cooperation. Their sister-city relationship has deepened over time, growing ever stronger with each passing year.
On June 24, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-U.S. Youth Festival. He expressed the hope that “Chinese and U.S. youth will have in-depth exchanges, deepen friendship, understand each other and build closer bonds, work hand in hand to carry forward the China-U.S. friendship.”
On the afternoon of June 24, as part of the Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-U.S. Youth Festival, a photo exhibition celebrating the 30th anniversary of the sister-city friendship between Fuzhou and Tacoma was officially opened in Fuzhou. Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards led a delegation to attend the Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-U.S. Youth Festival, marking her first visit to the city. This sister-city relationship, personally promoted by President Xi Jinping, has entered a new chapter of exchange and cooperation on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.
Fuzhou and Tacoma sent delegations to each other’s trade negotiations and exhibitions.
In 2006, the Fuzhou Youth Art Troupe took part in the Tacoma International Music Festival.
Enduring Friendship, Deep-Rooted Ties
Fuzhou and Tacoma enjoy a long-standing friendship and share many similarities. Fuzhou is dedicated to creating a coastal city where people and nature coexist in harmony. Surrounded by mountains and the sea and rich in greenery, Fuzhou places a strong emphasis on sustainable development. Last year, it was proud to receive the inaugural Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities. Tacoma boasts a high forest coverage rate and is located near the majestic Mount Rainier. In 2006, it was recognized as the most walkable city in the U.S. Fuzhou features Mawei Port, while Tacoma hosts the Port of Tacoma—both important coastal ports on opposite sides of the Pacific. Tacoma’s industries in timber processing, metallurgy and casting, shipbuilding, and food processing complement Fuzhou’s industrial landscape perfectly.
The sister-city relationship between Fuzhou and Tacoma began with a letter. On October 6, 1993, Connie Bacon, then Executive Director of the World Trade Center Tacoma, visited Fuzhou for the China-U.S. Architecture Expo and personally delivered a handwritten letter from Tacoma Mayor Karen Vialle to the Fuzhou municipal government. In it, Mayor Vialle expressed Tacoma’s wish to establish a sister-city friendship with Fuzhou.
In late 1993, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee, visited Tacoma. During his visit, he discussed the possibility of establishing a sister-city relationship between the two cities and explored potential cooperation, including a sister-port partnership between Fuzhou’s Mawei Port and the Port of Tacoma.
After the Fuzhou delegation visited Tacoma in 1993, the two cities—though separated by the Pacific Ocean—engaged in multiple exchanges to explore the establishment of a sister-city relationship, laying a strong foundation for their eventual official partnership.
On November 16, 1994, Fuzhou and Tacoma officially signed their sister-city agreement at Yushan Hall in Fuzhou. Xi Jinping and G. Eugene Martin, then U.S. Consul General in Guangzhou, signed the document as witnesses. The next day, the Fuzhou Evening News featured a front-page headline: “Fuzhou and Tacoma Establish Sister-City Relationship.”
In 2018, Tacoma Deputy Mayor Anders Ibsen and his delegation attended the “International Sister Cities Visit Fuzhou” event and the Maritime Silk Road International Tourism Festival in Fuzhou.
Lin Kongzhang, Former Director of Fuzhou’s Foreign Affairs Office, witnessed this historic event firsthand. In an interview, he recalled with heartfelt sentiment: “Comrade Xi Jinping placed great emphasis on forging the sister-city relationship between the two cities. He moved quickly and pragmatically to make it happen. What impressed me most was that it took less than a year to go from the initial formal talks to the signing of the agreement, setting a record for speed in Fuzhou’s foreign relations at that time.”
In 2024, Tacoma City Council Member Sara Lambo attended the Southeast China Exhibition City Cooperation and Development Conference in Fuzhou.
Economic and Trade Exchanges Across the Ocean
Friendship has bridged the gap between Fuzhou and Tacoma, while cooperation drives them forward together.
Since establishing their sister-city relationship, Tacoma has sent 51 delegations totaling 276 delegates to Fuzhou, while Fuzhou has dispatched 45 delegations with 285 delegates to Tacoma. The two cities maintain close exchanges and collaborate across various fields, including trade, culture, education, and sports.
Both cities have frequently exchanged delegations to participate in local investment and trade promotion events, actively advancing economic and trade cooperation. A series of trade agreements signed between them has paved the way for the successful implementation of collaborative projects. On May 20, 1994, the two cities signed the Economic and Trade Cooperation Agreement between Fuzhou Port and the Port of Tacoma. On September 28, 2006, they signed the Letter of Intent on Sister-City Exchanges between the Foreign Affairs Office of the Fuzhou Municipal People’s Government and the Port of Tacoma. The next day, on September 29, 2006, they signed the Supplementary Agreement on Friendly Cooperation between Fuzhou Port and the Port of Tacoma. On September 20, 2019, the two cities signed the Friendship Agreement between the Port of Tacoma Authority and the Fuzhou Port Authority.
Economic and trade data underscore the strong results of cooperation between the two cities. From April 2008 to October 2009, the Fuzhou-Tacoma Economic and Trade Exchange Project was launched as a pioneering effort, generating USD 450,000 in direct bilateral trade and facilitating USD 1.57 million in trade agreements. In September 2019, the Fuzhou Free Trade Zone Management Committee signed a cooperation intention agreement with the World Trade Center Tacoma, leading to nearly USD 50 million in projected investments. Since then, the two sides have maintained close collaboration through online trade matchmaking and continued business exchanges.
In 2023, Tacoma Deputy Mayor Kristina Walker attended the Bond with Kuliang: China-US People-to-People Friendship Forum in Fuzhou.
At the 2014 China-U.S. Sister Cities Conference, Fuzhou and Tacoma were both honored with the Economic and Trade Exchange Award. From September 22 to 24, 2015, Tacoma hosted the Fuzhou-Tacoma Sister City Exchange Achievements Exhibition. In an interview, Mary Kane, President and CEO of Sister Cities International, praised the two cities as a model of economic cooperation, stating, “I look forward to seeing their friendship and exchange continue to flourish in this new era.”
The establishment of a joint consultation and cooperation mechanism has further strengthened exchanges and collaboration between the two cities. In September 2019, to mark the 25th anniversary of their sister-city relationship, Fuzhou and Tacoma signed an agreement to establish the Joint Committee for Cooperation and Development. This committee serves as a platform to coordinate and advance friendly exchanges and practical cooperation in economy, trade, culture, education, sports, and more. The first and second committee meetings were held in September 2020 and December 2022, respectively. The third meeting is set to take place during the Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-U.S. Youth Festival.
A series of economic and trade exchanges has brought tangible benefits to people in both cities. In March last year, Fujian Chunlun Group signed a cooperation agreement with Tacoma’s Asia Pacific Cultural Center to promote and sell jasmine tea, with a brand marketing event scheduled for July in Tacoma. “Chunlun jasmine tea is now widely available in Chinese supermarkets and restaurants throughout Tacoma,” said Fu Xiaoping, Vice President of Chunlun Group. “Thanks to our showcase at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, we’ve received numerous partnership inquiries, and our market presence in the U.S. is steadily expanding.”
Fuzhou’s partnership with Tacoma has accelerated its global outreach, opening a new gateway to the world and presenting a genuine and open Fuzhou to the global community.
Students from the Affiliated High School of Fuzhou Institute of Education visited Tacoma for a study exchange program.
Cultural Integration, Strengthening Connections
In summer, the Sino-US Garden at the Affiliated High School of Fuzhou Institute of Education (FIE) is vibrant and full of life, with photos on the walls telling the story of the school’s cherished friendship with Lincoln High School in Tacoma.
A proud moment in the history of the Affiliated High School of FIE occurred on September 23, 2015, when President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, visited Lincoln High School in Tacoma. In the school auditorium, the couple enjoyed a joint performance by the Lincoln High School choir and students from the Affiliated High School of FIE, featuring the Chinese song On the Field of Great Prospects and the English classic What a Wonderful World.
The beautiful and moving voices expressed the friendship between Chinese and American youth, earning frequent applause from everyone present.
For Huang Bingjie, an English teacher at the Affiliated High School and the delegation’s interpreter, it was a moment she will never forget. “Even though the students came from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, their collaboration was remarkably smooth,” she recalled. Nine years later, the memory remains crystal clear.
This trans-Pacific choir performance echoed across two nations, bringing students closer together and forging a lasting bridge of friendship between Fuzhou and Tacoma.
In 2016, teachers and students from Lincoln High School visited the Affiliated High School of FIE.
In 2008, the Affiliated High School of FIE and Lincoln High School became sister schools. Since then, students and teachers from both sides have engaged in mutual visits and exchanges, forging a strong and lasting friendship. On October 12, 2016, a delegation of students and teachers from Lincoln High School visited the Affiliated High School of FIE where they were paired one-on-one with 97 local students. Each summer, the Affiliated High School of FIE selected students to take part in study visits to Lincoln High School. In 2023, the two schools resumed in-person exchanges, continuing to strengthen their bond through shared experiences and learning…
“The partnership between the two schools has given teachers and students the chance to experience the educational philosophies and cultures of both China and the U.S., allowing them to learn from each other’s strengths,” said Huang Bingjie.
The exchanges between the Affiliated High School of FIE and Lincoln High School serve as a microcosm of educational friendship between Fuzhou and Tacoma. In 2019, the Fuzhou Municipal Education Bureau and the Tacoma School District signed a memorandum of understanding to foster closer ties between primary and secondary schools in both cities. Since then, three pairs of schools have formed sister-school partnerships: the Affiliated High School of FIE with Lincoln High School, Fuzhou Senior High School with Stadium High School, and Fuzhou Polytechnic with Bates Technical College. Educational collaboration between the two cities continues to grow stronger.
Friendship, which derives from close contact between the people, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. Over the past 30 years, the bond between Fuzhou and Tacoma has grown well beyond education. In recent years, cultural and sports exchanges have become important links, strengthening the cooperation and connection between the two cities even further.
On February 15, 2012, while visiting the United States as China’s Vice President, Xi Jinping shared a touching story about the friendship between China and the U.S. that took place in Kuliang. Between April and August of that year, David Moss, an American genealogist, Vice Chair of the Tacoma-Fuzhou Sister City Committee, and World History teacher at Lincoln High School, diligently searched for the descendants of the Gardner couple and other American friends who had lived and worked in Kuliang.
In 2012, visitors from Tacoma and Kuliang Friends visited Kuliang.
On September 26, 2012, Tacoma’s Deputy Mayor Joseph Lonergan, David Moss, and more than ten American friends and descendants who had lived and worked in Kuliang made a special trip to Fuzhou to embark on a journey of reconnecting with their roots. It was also the first time since Mrs. Gardner’s visit to Kuliang in 1992 at the invitation of Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee, that her descendants returned, continuing the touching story of friendship between the people of China and the United States.
In 2016, Tacoma City Council member Joseph Lonergan led a dragon boat team to Fuzhou, where they teamed up with local paddlers to compete in the Fuzhou leg of the China Dragon Boat Race.
Fuzhou and Tacoma have repeatedly sent delegations to take part in each other’s dragon boat races. The two cities also build on events like the “International Sister Cities Visit Fuzhou,” the Fuzhou International Friendship Cities Cultural Festival, the Tacoma International Sister Cities Food and Film Festival, and the Tacoma Youth Art Exhibition to warmly welcome friends and strengthen their ties through ongoing cultural exchanges.
“Fuzhou Ting” in Tacoma.
The “Fuzhou Ting,” donated by Fuzhou in 2011, is located in the Tacoma Chinese Reconciliation Park. With its classic elements of traditional Chinese architecture—such as dougong brackets, roof ridges, flying eaves, hanging fish ornaments, and beauty benches—this pavilion symbolizes the enduring and deep-rooted friendship between the two cities across the Pacific.
In his congratulatory letter on June 24, President Xi Jinping stressed that “young people are most energetic and full of dreams, and the future of China-U.S. relations lies in the young people.” At the Bond with Kuliang: 2024 China-U.S. Youth Festival, many young members of the Tacoma delegation helped carry forward the story of friendship between Fuzhou and its sister city, Tacoma. Their participation added a fresh note to the ongoing symphony of China-U.S. relations—a lasting melody of friendship that continues to echo across the Pacific…
(Fuzhou Daily Reporters: Lin Yuhe, Qian Jiayi, and Lin Han; all images, unless otherwise credited, are file photos.)