Striking similarities

At the end of her one-week Fuzhou trip in June, Woodards marveled at the similarities between the two cities. Fuzhou's green surroundings remind her a lot of Washington, which carries the moniker the Evergreen State, she said.

"I can see why 30 years ago the man who I called my father, Harold Moss, the mayor of Tacoma at the time, would make this sister-city relationship with Fuzhou, because we have so much in common. … I hope that in 30 years from now someone from the city of Tacoma will be here in Fuzhou celebrating the 60th anniversary of our sister-city relationship."

On July 19, the sixth US-China Sister Cities Summit was held in Tacoma. During the summit, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng said that serving as bridges for mutual understanding and trust, the sister-city relationships have nurtured goodwill between the two peoples, and injected vigor into China-US relations.

"The closer subnational exchanges and cooperation are, the more solid the popular foundation for China-US relations will be, and the greater room we will have for taking this relationship forward," said Xie.

The significance of sister-city relationships is often underreported and not well understood by people from both countries, said Wang Xiaofeng, director of international cooperation at the Center for China and Globalization, a Chinese think tank.

"Sister-city relationships have transcended symbolic gestures to deliver substantial benefits and created a dynamic and multifaceted connection between China and the US. These partnerships have facilitated economic growth through increased trade and investment opportunities and cultural exchanges that foster mutual understanding," she said.

"City-level exchanges through sister-city programs can help ease bilateral mistrust between China and the US by fostering direct, people-to-people interactions that build mutual understanding and respect," said Wang.

"By focusing on these tangible and positive interactions, sister cities can reduce stereotypes and misconceptions, paving the way for a more constructive bilateral relationship," she said.

Yang Jie in Fuzhou contributed to this story.