STORY: Tianjin, Philadelphia celebrate 45th anniversary of sister city ties
SHOOTING TIME: April 24, 2024
DATELINE: April 25, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:19
LOCATION: PHILADELPHIA, U.S.
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Philadelphia City Hall
2. various of the event
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JEZELLE JONES, Philadelphia's City representative
4. various of executive vice mayor of Tianjin Liu Guiping delivering a speech
6. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LIU GUIPING, Executive vice mayor of Tianjin
10. various of Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping delivering a speech
11. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): HUANG PING, Chinese Consul General in New York

STORYLINE:

Tianjin in north China and Philadelphia on the U.S. East Coast celebrated their 45-year sister city ties Tuesday, vowing to deepen cooperation and exchange in various fields.
   
During a visit to Philadelphia by a Tianjin delegation, officials from both sides exchanged greetings and congratulations.
   
The City Council of Philadelphia has recently passed a resolution, honoring the Tianjin delegation and celebrating the 45th anniversary of the sister city ties together.
   
The resolution was presented and read out at a gathering by delegates from the city council.
   
Meanwhile, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker proclaimed Tuesday as Tianjin Sister City Day in Philadelphia, urging citizens to be aware of the enduring and valuable relationship.
   
Parker said she looked forward to forging pathways for the citizens of both sides to build bridges across oceans, fostering citizen diplomacy and connecting cultures to create peace and prosperity for all.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): JEZELLE JONES, Philadelphia's City representative
"I am proud to say we are celebrating 45 years of our sister city relationship. This is a very meaningful milestone for Philadelphia and we look forward as we further our partnership on business, trade, arts, culture, youth education, and immediate engagement."
   
Tianjin and Philadelphia formed sister city ties shortly after China and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1979, said Liu Guiping, executive vice mayor of Tianjin.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LIU GUIPING, Executive vice mayor of Tianjin
"Over the past 45 years, the friendly exchanges between the two cities have been strengthened over time in rain or shine, and fruitful exchanges and cooperation have been carried out in economy, trade, education, culture and other fields."
   
Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping said that the sister city ties between Tianjin and Philadelphia serve as a benchmark for 284 pairs of sister provinces/states and sister cities between the two countries.
   
Huang advocated for building more bridges for subnational and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries to promote friendship and bilateral relations.
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): HUANG PING, Chinese Consul General in New York
"The sister city ties between Tianjin and Philadelphia serve as a benchmark for 284 pairs of sister provinces/states and sister cities between the two countries. We need to share the friendship between Tianjin and Philadelphia with more people and build more bridges for subnational and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries to promote friendship and bilateral relations."

Officials from both sides delivered presentations on business and cooperation opportunities.
   
Artists from Tianjin performed Chinese Opera, and musicians from the Philadelphia Orchestra played musical pieces at a function in the Philadelphia City Hall.
   
Nearly 100 people from governments, business, culture, education circles and the American Chinese community attended the event. 

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Philadelphia, U.S.
(XHTV)