Chongqing - In recent years, Chongqing has seized the opportunity to accelerate building the city into a Hub for International Exchanges in Central and Western China, continuously integrating and expanding foreign affairs resources.

The city has increased efforts to invite foreign entities and expand its presence globally. As a result, Chongqing's international network has grown, fostering broader exchanges with sister cities, solidifying partnerships, and paving the way for a wider path of friendship.

On October 11, 2005, Chongqing and Brisbane, Australia, solidified their bond as international sister cities, heralding a new era of collaboration. Since then, the partnership between Chongqing and Brisbane has flourished, yielding substantial achievements across diverse sectors such as the economy, trade, education, and healthcare.

Brisbane, Queensland's vibrant capital, is celebrated for its strategic location, cultural wealth, and moniker, the "City in the Sun." Over recent years, the friendship between Brisbane and Chongqing has consistently intensified, manifesting in expanded cooperation across various domains, including the economy, culture, education, and technology.

In 2017, Chongqing and Brisbane embarked on a robust series of collaborative ventures in the economic and trade arenas. In a significant move in September 2017, Chongqing Airport Group and Brisbane Airport Corporation inked a sister-airport agreement. Subsequently, in November 2018, nine Queensland food enterprises showcased their products in Chongqing, forging collaborative ties with numerous local firms in beverage, flour, and oat imports.

The year 2019 saw an escalation in the collaborative efforts; in May, Queensland's Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries led a delegation of Australian food industry luminaries to Chongqing for the Australia-China (Chongqing) Economic and Trade Forum, thereby deepening the agricultural and food industry synergy between the two locales. In August, Brisbane's Deputy Mayor Krista Adams spearheaded a delegation at the Smart China Expo and the 2nd Mayors' Roundtable for International Sister Cities of Chongqing, China, culminating in a pivotal agreement to enhance sister-city relations.

The years 2020 and 2021 marked a phase of diversified progression in the cities' cooperation, spotlighting new technological breakthroughs from premier innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives during the China-Australia (Chongqing) Cloud Innovation and Commercialization Roadshow. Esteemed Brisbane architectural firms explored Chongqing, fostering wide-ranging dialogues with several local enterprises and organizations. The "Taste of Queensland" event in Chongqing also catalyzed deeper mutual comprehension and collaboration in the commercial and cultural arenas.

The Chongqing-Brisbane collaboration has wielded significant influence and broad reach in the educational sphere. From 2017 onward, the entities established a memorandum of cooperation, initiating the Australia-China Chongqing Vocational Education and Training Project with a dedicated office in Chongqing.

Continual educational endeavors ensued. In January 2019, the Queensland Chinese Association of Scientists and Engineers and Chongqing University convened the China-Australia Science, Technology Commercialization, and Innovation Forum, fostering an exchange platform for academics. October 2020 witnessed the launch of the 2020 China-Australia International Training Course on Innovative Management of Vocational Education, enriching nearly a hundred vocational educators in Chongqing with professional advancement opportunities.

By 2023, the education collaboration broadened, with Chongqing Bashu Secondary School and Chongqing Zhongxu School Affiliated with East China Normal University, forging online exchange agreements with Moreton Bay College in Brisbane, paving the way for direct inter-school cooperation.

In healthcare, November 2020 marked a milestone as Chongqing Sanbo Chang'an Hospital partnered with Brisbane's ICON Group to establish a pioneering cancer radiation therapy center, facilitating an exchange of medical expertise and management practices. The joint organization of the Chongqing-Brisbane China-Australian Cancer Radiotherapy Seminar further cemented the medical research collaboration between the two cities.

Source: Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government