The two-day 2012 China International Friendship Cities Conference concluded in Chengdu on Sept 13. The event attracted 700 representatives from 185 cities around the globe.

Participants exchanged ideas on topics such as city internationalization, transformation and development, investment orientation, emergency response and disaster relief, and population aging issues.

A signing ceremony for newly-twinned friendship cities and a friendship cities awards ceremony were held on Sept 13. Five pairs of cities established relationships at the signing ceremony.

During the conference, Chengdu signed friendship city agreements with Maastricht in the Netherlands and Perth in Australia, as well as a cooperative agreement with Horsens in Denmark.

To date, Chengdu has established friendship ties with 18 cities and friendly cooperative ties with another 36 cities.

Thirty-eight cities were awarded exchanges and cooperation awards, four cities were given the special contribution award, and Avi Rabinovitch from Israel was honored as the "Friendship Ambassador."

Chengdu, host city of this year's event, won the exchanges and cooperation award.

Other activities, including a painting and photo exhibition and a violin competition, were held as part of the conference.

After the conference, the first convention of the International Sister Cities Tourism Alliance was held on the afternoon of Sept 13, attended by 19 delegations from 15 countries.

The next (2014) China Int'l Friendship Cities Conference will be held in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province.