Tianjin is looking to further deepen cooperation and exchanges with Philadelphia, its first sister city in the United States, making them "exemplary models of cultural exchange between sister cities in China and the US", a city official said.

"We hope to establish a stable communication mechanism between the Tianjin Foreign Affairs Office and the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia to comprehensively support the enhancement of our sister-city relationship," Liu Guiping, executive vice-mayor of Tianjin, said during his visit to Philadelphia on Tuesday to celebrate the 45th anniversary of sister-city ties.

Artists from Tianjin performed Chinese operas and musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra entertained the audience at a function in the Philadelphia City Hall.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker proclaimed April 23 as Tianjin Sister City Day, encouraging residents to be aware of their city's enduring and valuable relationship with Tianjin.

Parker said she looks forward to forging pathways for people from both sides to build bridges across oceans, fostering citizen diplomacy and connecting cultures to create peace and prosperity for all.

Many well-known US companies, such as Philadelphia-based Aramark, have invested and operated successfully in Tianjin.

"We welcome more companies from Philadelphia to engage in tradeand investment in Tianjin," Liu said.

He also invited the Port of Philadelphia to take part in the annual Tianjin International Shipping Industry Expo to promote more cooperation.

In recent years, cultural exchanges between the two cities have increased.

In November, the Philadelphia Orchestra visited China and staged a performance with Tianjin Juilliard School, Tianjin Conservatory of Music and Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, receiving widespread applaud.

Educational resources

"Tianjin boasts rich intangible cultural heritage and high-quality educational resources, while Philadelphia is renowned for its extraordinary historical and cultural heritage as well as its prestigious higher education institutions," Liu said.

"We hope that both sides will actively engage in exchanges and cooperation in the fields of higher education and youth, organizing diverse exchange activities such as youth study visits, 'young diplomats' programs, and intangible cultural heritage in schools."

Jazelle Jones, city representative of Philadelphia, said Philadelphia takes great pride in establishing sister-city connections. "Tianjin and Philadelphia are forging pathways to the future across the sister-city connections ... and across the oceans," she said.

China's Consul General in New York Huang Ping said the sister-city ties between Tianjin and Philadelphia serve as a benchmark for 284 pairs of sister provinces or states and sister cities between China and the US.

Kyle Dillingham, a US fiddler who visited Tianjin last year, said he plans to return to Tianjin later this year at the invitation of Tianjin Juilliard to collaborate on a joint concert.

"From the moment we arrived last May, we could not have felt more at home. Likewise, our visits to the Tianjin Juilliard School and Tianjin Conservatory also left a strong warm impression," Dillingham said.

"Tianjin is genuinely interested in building and nurturing friendships with others across China and the world, always seeking to do what it can to serve the needs of others and show their warm hospitality."