The 2026 Hunan International Friendship City Economic and Trade Exchange Event and Cooperation Dialogue was held on September 18. At the event, Hunan signed cooperation agreements with nine friendship regions, seven of which were letters of intent to establish friendship city relations. Hunan's international "circle of friends" continues to grow.

The signings covered both provincial and municipal levels. At the provincial level, Hunan Province signed letters of intent to establish friendship city relations with four regions—Sindh Province of Pakistan, Bukhara Region of Uzbekistan, Shefa Province of Vanuatu, and Hermanas Mirabal Province of the Dominican Republic. At the municipal level, Changsha City inked letters of intent to establish friendship city relations with Kota Kinabalu City of Malaysia and Bishkek City of Kyrgyzstan, while Loudi City signed one with Gujrat City of Punjab Province of Pakistan.

In addition, Hunan Province and Mogilev Region of Belarus signed a roadmap for provincial-level friendship city cooperation, and Hengyang City and Bobruisk City of Belarus inked a plan of municipal-level friendly exchanges.

International friendship cities serve as an important vehicle for deepening people-to-people friendship, enhancing mutually beneficial cooperation, and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. In 1982, Changsha established friendship city relations with Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. This was Hunan's earliest friendship city exchange practice, and became the first pair of friendship cities between China and an African country. Over more than four decades, Hunan's international friendship city network has continued to expand. To date, Hunan has established official friendship city relations with 120 cities and administrative regions in 47 countries and regions, including 32 pairs at the provincial level, 75 pairs at the city (prefecture) level, and 13 pairs at the county (county-level city) level, spanning Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Hunan has built a new pattern of all-round, multi-level, and broad opening up.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn