Chengdu horticultural expo celebrates friendship

The International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu, which kicked off on Friday in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, provides a platform for cities around the world to discuss the future of green development and enhance friendship.

The expo, scheduled to run until Oct 28, showcases a variety of plants and flowers from around the world, as well as gardening styles from 32 countries and regions on five continents.

At the expo, representatives of Chengdu's 19 sister cities and friendly cooperation cities from 18 countries, including the United States, France, Italy, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Mozambique and Austria, have shared their experiences in green development and explored how cities around the world can cooperate in areas such as green development, trade and cultural exchanges.

They also celebrated the official opening of the Chengdu International Friendship Pavilion, a core building at the main venue of the expo. It covers an exhibition area of 2,000 square meters and features a permanent exhibition with the theme of international friendship.

Clare Hart, vice-mayor of Montpellier, France, said Chengdu is a city of parks, gardens, pandas and biodiversity, and she is proud that Chengdu, as Montpellier's sister city, is hosting such an exhibition.

Chengdu and Montpellier were the first sister cities from China and France. Montpellier has set up a park with the theme "wine and vine of friendship basking in the sun" at the main venue of the expo, echoing its more than 40 years of friendship with Chengdu.

Hart said this year is particularly significant for the two cities as it marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between France and China.

"So we have come over with all that we do the best, and we will be visiting all that Chengdu does best here," she said. "We look forward to working hand in hand with Chengdu to promote biodiversity and create a cleaner, greener and healthier living environment for our kids and grandkids."

Ernst Woller, first president of the provincial parliament of Vienna, Austria, described the expo as a great journey through the world, featuring many cultures and garden designs from around the globe.

He said the world still faces many problems and challenges, and it is very important for cities to work together and get to know each other.

"The Chengdu expo is a good example that cities should work together," he said.

Woller said he was pleased to have presented the Chengdu International Friendship Pavilion with an inauguration gift — a statue of Johann Strauss the younger, who was known as the "Waltz King". Vienna will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth next year.

Pietro Cannella, vice-mayor of Palermo, Italy, said the friendly exchanges between cities during the expo represent a great opportunity for development.

"We see that urban planning can be combined with ecological greening, which is also significant for promoting the concept of sustainable development in Sicily," he said.

Despite the geographical distance between the two cities, Cannella said he believed the cooperation between Chengdu and Palermo will become even closer, thanks to cooperation agreements between Chinese and Italian universities and the cultural and business ties the two countries are establishing.

Contact the writers at huangzhiling@chinadaily.com.cn