From July 8 to 11, an investment delegation from Durham, USA, Kunshan’s sister city, visited Kunshan to conduct business inspections and exchanges. This visit aimed to leverage sister-city resources to expand investment channels, deepen practical cooperation, and support the city’s high-quality economic and social development. Over the years, Kunshan and Durham have maintained close and productive ties, working hand in hand to achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes. As the first official interaction since the two cities formally upgraded their relationship to international sister-city status, this visit demonstrated their shared commitment to using this partnership as a bridge to promote both cultural exchanges and economic cooperation. James Long, newly appointed Co-chair of the Kunshan-Durham Sister City Working Group and Operations Director at Freeway Systems, and Patrick Amato, Global Director and Chief Engineer at Freeway Systems, joined the delegation. They were accompanied by representatives from the Kunshan Foreign Affairs Office during the inspections and exchanges.

During their stay in Kunshan, the delegation held productive meetings with prospective suppliers such as FUHSIN Hardware Electronics, Kunshan Zhenggong Mould, General Water Purification Technology (Kunshan), and Qingtao (Kunshan) Energy Development Group. They also conducted on-site inspections at Dandelion Science and Innovation Park, Iridium Science and Technology Innovation Industrial Park, Yangtze River Delta (Kunshan) International Low Carbon Industry Innovation Park, Yuanchuang Sci-tech Industrial Park, the German Industrial Park, Startup Factory, and associated talent apartment facilities. During the visit, the delegation presented their project and development plans to relevant districts, towns, and local state-owned enterprises, including KSCY Holding Group and KCID. The delegation gained in-depth insights into the production and operations of industrial parks and key enterprises along the industrial chain, and reached preliminary cooperation agreements and intention orders for future production partnerships.

In the height of summer, Kunshan once again hosted the Entrepreneurship Week, attracting global innovators and entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and ignite collective wisdom, composing a symphony of technological innovation and talent collaboration. The delegation attended the opening ceremony of the 9th Kunshan Entrepreneurship Week and the Launching Ceremony of Kunshan Tour for Universities, where they praised Kunshan’s exceptional business environment, efficient government services, and refined urban governance, and expressed their willingness to further deepen industrial collaboration and friendly exchanges between the two cities.

At the century-old Tinglin Garden, the delegation held a dedicated sister-city cooperation symposium with the Kunshan Foreign Affairs Office. At the Creative Coffee Industry Center in the Comprehensive Bonded Zone, they learned about the history of Kunshan’s coffee industry, its import–export logistics advantages, and experienced the city’s profound cultural heritage and vibrant economic dynamism firsthand. Delegation members stated the three-day inspections helped them better understand the city and they would take this exchange as an opportunity to further improve communication mechanisms, expand the scope of sister-city cooperation, and promote the institutionalization of project-based exchanges. They also expressed keen interest in exploring the establishment of mechanisms to facilitate visits by American startup entrepreneurs to Kunshan and to develop accelerator platforms for early-stage companies, ensuring that sister-city ties continue to grow ever stronger through practical cooperation.

Moving forward, the Kunshan Foreign Affairs Office will continue to play a pivotal role as a bridge for international engagement, further cultivating and enriching sister-city cooperation platforms. By actively exploring innovative models of “sister-city partnerships & resource sharing,” Kunshan aims to deepen the integration of international exchanges with the city’s overall economic development strategy. With unwavering commitment to enhancing the quality and efficiency of foreign affairs work, these efforts will inject robust diplomatic vitality into Kunshan’s high-quality economic and social development, fostering greater global connectivity and shared prosperity.