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Foreign twin cities and partners
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Daejeon (Republic of Korea)Expand Collapse
Photo: common.wikimedia.org
Document: Memorandum of Understanding (2017)
Year founded: 1905
Population: 1.5 million (2018)
Area of the city: 539.84 km²
Time zone: GMT +9
Website: https://www.daejeon.go.kr/dre/index.do
About the city:
Daejeon is a city in the center of South Korea and the administrative center of Chungcheongnam-do Province. Daejeon occupies an important place in the country's economy. A large number of enterprises, firms and companies, modern medical and scientific centers, and 18 universities are concentrated here. Daejeon has received the title of “Korea's Silicon Valley”. Research centers of Samsung, LG and other technological giants of the country are opened here.
Joint activities, contacts:
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the 14th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities by Deputy Head of Kazan Evgeniya Lodvigova and Vice-Mayor of Daejeon Jean-Gwan Lee.
On July 2, 2019, a meeting between the Vice-Mayor of Kazan and the Vice-Mayor of Daejeon took place at the Kazan City Hall. The parties discussed possible aspects of cooperation as well as the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress.
The delegation of Kazan led by the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin visited Daejeon as part of the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) World Congress on October 10-14, 2022.
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Urbino (Italian Republic)Expand Collapse
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Document: Mutual Cooperation Agreement (2001)
Year of foundation: 300 B.C.
Population: 15,000 (2021)
Area: 226 km² (2020)
Time Zone: GMT +1
Website: http://www.comune.urbino.ps.it/
About city:
Urbino is an ancient city in eastern Italy, a historical, cultural and educational center. Known as the birthplace of Raphael Santi. During the Renaissance, Urbino was called the "Ideal City" because it represented a harmony of beauty and intelligent organization of space.
The historic part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
University of Urbino "Carlo Bo" was founded in 1506 as one of the first in Europe. With several quite significant universities and language schools opened in the city, about half of the city's population are students.
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Wuhan (People's Republic of China)Expand CollapseDocument: Memorandum of intent on establishing twinning relations between the cities of Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan (Russian Federation) and Wuhan, Hubei Province (People's Republic of China) (2025)
Фото: Wuhan municipality
Year of foundation: 1500 BC
Area: 8600 km2 (2023)
Population: 13.8 million (2024)
Time zone: GMT +8
Website: https://www.wuhan.gov.cn/
About the city:
Wuhan is the administrative center of Hubei Province, a large city in central China with a population of about 13.8 million people (as of the end of 2024). It is an important industrial, cultural and transport hub of the country. Wuhan is one of the six cities in China where consulates of foreign countries are open. In June 2025, Dmitry Zavorin was appointed Consul General of the Russian Federation in Wuhan.
Since June 2024, Mr. Sheng Yuechun has been appointed Mayor of Wuhan.
By the end of 2023, Wuhan's gross metropolitan product grew by 5.7%, reaching 2 trillion yuan (about 278.76 billion US dollars). The city has developed automotive industry (including the Dongfeng headquarters and factories of Honda, Citroen, Renault), ferrous metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, and satellite manufacturing.
Wuhan is a green city park, awarded the titles of «National Garden City» and «National Forest City» of China. Its most important feature is its location on the banks of rivers and lakes.
One of the oldest cities in China boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage. There are 339 architectural monuments, including 33 objects of national importance and dozens of buildings of European, including Russian, architecture.
Wuhan is a large educational center with 89 universities, where over 1.3 million students study. Wuhan University, founded in 1893, is one of the country's leading universities.
Joint events, contacts:
On October 2020, Vice Mayor of Wuhan Mr. Xu Honglan participated in the plenary session «Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Modern Cities» within the framework of the Forum of Twin Cities and Municipalities of the BRICS countries.
On June 2021, representatives of Wuhan took part in the 17th World Conference of Historical Cities on the theme «Historical and cultural heritage as the basis of national, cultural and local identity».
On September 2023, young chess players from Wuhan played in the first International friendly chess tournament between the teams of sister cities and partner cities of Russia and China, which was held within the framework of the International Business Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China – Mutually Beneficial Cooperation».
On November 18, 2024, in Kunming, on the sidelines of the Chinese International Conference «Cities of Friendship», the head of the International Cooperation Department of the Office of International and Inter-Municipal Relations of the Kazan City Duma, Regina Kozenko, met with the head of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the People's Government of Wuhan, Yu Feng. Prospects for cooperation in education, sports and mutual participation in events in 2025 were discussed.
On July 2025, Kazan athletes performed at the Yangtze River Crossing Festival in Wuhan.
On July 2025, graduates of Kazan Secondary School No. 9 with advanced study of English took part in the international educational program of Wuhan University of Commerce (WBU).
On August 2025, the delegation of Wuhan took part in the III International Business Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China – Mutually Beneficial Cooperation». The Chinese delegation was led by Chen Yueqing, Deputy Chairman of the Wuhan City Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference. On August 18, 2025, the Executive Committee of Kazan city Municipality hosted a meeting of representatives of the administrations of the cities of Kazan and Wuhan. The guests were welcomed by the Deputy Head of Kazan, Evgeniya Lodvigova. The parties signed a Memorandum of intent on establishing twinning relations. On August 18, 2025, the Wuhan City team took part in an online friendly chess tournament between the teams of the twin cities and partner cities of Russia and China.
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Hyderabad (Republic of India)Expand Collapse
Фото: commons.wikimedia.org
Document: Treaty of Cooperation (2001)Year of foundation: 1592
Population: 3 million (2021)
Area: 650 km² (2020)
Time zone: GMT +5:30
Website: http://ghmc.gov.in/
About city:
Hyderabad is a city in southern India that is one of India's most important centers of industry and commerce.
It has well developed light industry, food processing, glass, paper, tobacco, and pharmaceuticals, mechanical engineering; widespread handicrafts. Hyderabad is the center of the computer industry; research and design organizations of the military-industrial complex of India are concentrated in the city. Hyderabad is sometimes referred to as the "Pearl City", as pearls of all varieties have been available there for many years.
Joint events, contacts:
On October 19, 2020, representatives of Hyderabad participated in the BRICS Twinning Cities and Municipalities Forum 2020 held in Kazan in an online format.
On June 21-23, 2024, the representative of Hyderabad, Basava Bhaaskara, Director of Roerich Healthcare, President of the South Indian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, President of the Business Forum of South India and Russia, visited Kazan to participate in the International Forum of the BRICS+ Cities.
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Hangzhou (People's Republic of China)Expand Collapse
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Document: Memorandum of Friendly Cooperation (2002), Agreement on the Establishment of Friendly Relations between the Cities (2003)
Year of foundation: 589
Area: 3068 km2 (2020)
Population: 8.7 million (2020)
Time zone: GMT +8
Official website: http://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/
About the city:
Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province, located in eastern China. Hangzhou is a transportation hub, a center of textile industry. Engineering, metalworking, chemical, glass, jute, paper, tea-making, and pharmaceutical industries are developed in the city. There is a production of electronics and building materials, traditional handicraft production.
Xihu Lake, located on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city since 2005 is officially called the "Tea Capital of China". Hangzhou is home to the headquarters of more than 20 cutting-edge IT enterprises, including Alibaba, NetEase and Hikvision. In 2016, the G20 summit was held in Hangzhou.
Joint events, contacts:
2002-2013 - exchange of official delegations and letters.
In June 2013, a delegation fr om Hangzhou came to Kazan to discuss the possibilities of further cooperation. Representatives of the Executive Committee of Kazan and deputies of the Kazan City Duma met at the Kazan City Hall with a delegation led by Mr. Ye Ming, Chairman of the Hangzhou City Committee of the National People's Political Consultative Conference.
In November 2017, a meeting of representatives of the Executive Committee of Kazan with members of the delegation of Hangzhou was organized at the Kazan City Hall. During which the parties discussed the prospects of cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of tourism, culture, sports, etc. The Secretary General of the Hangzhou City Committee, Mr. Xu Min, invited the Deputy Head of Kazan, Evgeniya Lodvigova, to China to demonstrate an electronic system for determining the volume of tourist flow.
In December 2017, the Mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, visited Hangzhou and took part in a meeting of the UCLG World Council. During the meeting, the results of the study of the international activity of the cities of the Eurasian branch of the organization were summed up. The president of the department, Ilsur Metshin, presented awards to the leaders of the rating.
On December 8, 2017, as part of the meeting of the UCLG World Council, Kazan Mayor Ilsur Metshin and the Deputy Head of Kazan Evgeniya Lodvigova visited the Hangzhou Tourist Counting Center. Ilsur Metshin stressed that some of the methods used at the Center can be implemented in the capital of Tatarstan.
In May 2018, regular mail and cargo flights were launched from Hangzhou to Kazan. Once a week, the airport delivers about 23 tons of international mail to residents of the European part of Russia on a single flight to the capital of Tatarstan.
In September 2018, a presentation of the tourism potential of Kazan was organized in Hangzhou. During the visit, special attention was paid to the issue of expanding cooperation in the field of tourism and the exchange of experience between Kazan and Hangzhou.
On October 15, 2018 in the Kazan City Council a meeting was held between the leadership of the city and the delegation of Hangzhou. They discussed the possibility of exchanging experience in tourism, IT-technologies and sports. Chefs from Hangzhou demonstrated their skills to Kazan colleagues in a restaurant on the territory of Old Tatar Settlement and tasted dishes of Tatar national cuisine.
In May 2019, the Head of the Department of Information Technology and Communications of the Executive Committee of Kazan took part in the Smart Cities conference in Hangzhou.
On November 20, 2019, representatives of the Executive Committee of Kazan met with a delegation from Hangzhou in Kazan. The parties discussed the prospects of cooperation in the IT-sector and in the field of tourism.
On September 23, 2020 in Kazan Vice-Mayor of Hangzhou Ke Jixin presented a speech at the Mayors’ Round Table «Smart City» within Kazan Digital Week-2020.
On October 19, 2020 in Kazan, representatives of Hangzhou took part in the Forum of Twin Cities and Municipalities of BRICS - 2020.
On September 15, 2021, the 8th International Conference of Mayors of the Twin Cities of Hangzhou was held, wh ere representatives of Kazan took part as online listeners.
On September 21, 2021, Vice Mayor of Hangzhou Ke Jixin took part in the Mayors’ Round Table «Evolution of smart cities» within the framework of the International Forum Kazan Digital Week - 2021 with a video message.
In August 2022, a video message from the Deputy Head of Kazan Evgeniya Lodvigova was sent to Hangzhou on the occasion of Hangzhou City Day and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of twinning relations between the cities of Kazan and Hangzhou.
In September 2022, in preparation for the Asian Games, the international GoodTalk forum was held in Hangzhou, Kazan schoolchildren won prizes with their videos.
On September 21, 2022, representatives of Hangzhou took part in a meeting of the Mayors’ Round Table «Digital transformation of management in the city», which was held within the framework of the International Forum Kazan Digital Week– 2022 in Kazan.
On May 4, 2023, a music teleconference was held in honor of the celebration of the anniversary of twinning relations. It united Kazan children's music school №16 named after Lundstrem and Hangzhou Higher Music School №4. The musical express «Childhood Melodies of two cultures: Kazan-Hangzhou 2023» was timed to coincide with the International Jazz Day. The teleconference brought together more than 100 young musicians, their teachers, as well as representatives of the municipalities of the two cities.
On June 21-23, 2024, a delegation from Hangzhou headed by Ms. Wang Wenshuo, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee, visited Kazan to participate in the International Forum of the BRICS+ Cities.
Оn November 14-15, 2024, in Kazan a team of chess players from the city of Hangzhou took part in the chess tournament within the framework of the II International Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation» and took 1st place in the team competition.
On November 17, 2024, a meeting was held in Hangzhou between the head of the International Cooperation Department of the Office of International and Inter-Municipal Relations of the Office of the Kazan City Duma, Regina Kozenko, and the Deputy head of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Hangzhou People's Government, Li Daochao. They discussed the prospects for cooperation in the fields of education, sports and mutual participation in events in 2025.
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Harare (Republic of Zimbabwe)Expand Collapse
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Document: Twinning agreement (2011)
Year of foundation: 1890
Population: 2.1 million (2021)
Area: 960 km² (2020)
Time zone: GMT +2
Website: http://www.hararecity.co.zw/
About the city:
Harare is the capital city of Zimbabwe. The city is named after an African tribal chief who led the Zimbabwean people's struggle against the British in 1890. Harare is the largest city in the country and its cultural and industrial center. It is home to many cultural and educational institutions.
On January 11-20, 2025, a delegation from the Republic of Zimbabwe headed by Daniel Garwe, Minister of Local Government and Public Works, visited the Republic of Tatarstan. The delegation included the Mayor of Harare, Jacob Mafume. On January 15, at the Kazan City Hall, a meeting of the delegation with representatives of the Kazan City Hall took place, at which Kazan’s experience in the field of trade, improvement of public spaces, and personnel policy was presented. On January 16, a meeting was held between the Mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, and the Mayor of Harare, Jacob Mafume. The heads of the two cities discussed cooperation in various areas of the urban economy.
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Harbin (People's Republic of China)Expand Collapse
Photo: Harbin Municipality
Year of foundation: 1898
Population: 9.82 million (2023)
City area: 53.1 thousand km²
Time zone: GMT+8
Website: https://www.harbin.gov.cn/haerbin/c104447/s_index.shtml
About the city:
Harbin is the administrative center of Heilongjiang Province, located in the middle reaches of the Sungari River on the Sunliao Plain. The development of the city is connected with its historical role as the center of the railway network of Northeast China, connected to the Trans-Siberian Railway. The first inhabitants of the city were builders and employees of the Chinese Eastern Railway. In this regard, Harbin has preserved many Russian buildings, including the majestic Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sophia with green domes.
Harbin is known for its unique beauty, extraordinary architecture and atmosphere. It attracts lovers of winter tourism, and the annual International Ice and Snow Festival, held since 1963, makes the city doubly attractive to tourists fr om all over the world. Every year artists from different countries transform more than a hundred thousand cubic meters of ice and the same number of snow into a magical winter city. Harbin is called the «Ice City» for its extraordinary landscapes, beautiful neighborhoods and snowy winters.
Joint activities, contacts:
On 13-18 June, 2006, the official delegation from Kazan visited Harbin, during which a Memorandum of Cooperation between the cities of Harbin and Kazan was signed.
In February 2009, the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin, as part of a delegation from the Republic of Tatarstan, visited Harbin and took part in the opening ceremony of the 2009 World Winter Universiade.
In May 2015, series of meetings were held to attract students and pupils of educational institutions of Harbin to study the Russian language. Several meetings were held between Kazan Federal University (KFU) representatives and students from two schools to attract students to attend the Bachelor's program in the Russian language. This included meetings with students from the Russian language departments of Harbin University and Heilongjiang University of Science and Technology. There were made presentations about KFU.
On 5-6 September, 2016, an official visit of the Harbin delegation to Kazan led by the Mayor of Harbin, Mr. Song Xibin, took place. During the visit, the delegation met with the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and discussed issues of mutually beneficial cooperation.
On July 9, 2018, a meeting between the Deputy Head of the Kazan Municipality Lyudmila Andreeva and the First Secretary of the City Committee of the Communist Party of China, Mr. Wang Zhaoli was held at the Kazan City Hall. The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Foreign Affairs Office of Harbin Mr. Gao Huimin, Head of the commercial department Mr. Ji Pin, Head of the science and technology department Mr. Li Zhijie, Head of the culture, radio and television broadcasting and press department Gou Qingjie, the Consul General of China in Kazan Mr. Wu Yingqin, Consul of the Consulate General of China in Kazan Mr. Tian Zhi. Presentation of Kazan were made by Deputy Heads of the Kazan Executive Committee Ildar Shakirov and Radik Shafigullin, Head of the Culture Department of the Kazan Executive Committee Azat Abzalov. The parties discussed possibilities of cooperation between Kazan and Harbin in the field of economics and culture.
On July 13, 2018, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Governor of China's Heilongjiang Province Wang Wentao signed an agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between the regions in the Kazan Kremlin.
The visit of the Tatarstan delegation, timed to coincide with the VI Russian-Chinese EXPO-2019, took place on June 15-19, 2019. The Action Plan to the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the People's Government of Heilongjiang Province on trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation was signed in the International Exhibition and Convention Centre of Harbin. Rich program of the visit included various official and business events such as the meeting of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan with the Governor of Heilongjiang Province Wang Wentao, participation of the Tatarstan delegation in the Business Forum «Tatarstan-Heilongjiang» and visiting the exposition of the VI Russian-Chinese EXPO 2019. The delegation of the Republic of Tatarstan headed by President Rustam Minnikhanov opened the Days of Economy and Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan within the framework of the working visit to the city of Harbin of the People's Republic of China.
On September 25, 2019, the Kazan Executive Committee welcomed a delegation from Harbin. The meeting was attended by Deputy Head of the Executive Committee of the capital of Tatarstan Radik Shafigullin, Chairman of the Tourism Development Committee Darya Sannikova and Acting Chairman of the Economic Development Committee Guzel Mingazova. The Chinese delegation included Zhang Wangping, Deputy Mayor of the People's Government of Harbin, Sha Xiaodong, Deputy Head of the Department of Tourism, Broadcasting, Television and Culture, Li Yanan, Deputy Head of the Department of Commerce, Liu Zhengjiang, Chairman of the Administration of Harbin Comprehensive Duty-Free Zone, Ji Yuijia, Head of the Europe and Asia Department of the Foreign Affairs Department of the People's Government of Harbin, and others. The Chinese side expressed its willingness to exchange experience in culture, tourism and education.
In 2021, Kazan and Harbin held an online conference on cooperation between the two cities to exchange experience on coronavirus prevention.
On 6 January 2022, representatives of Kazan participated in the Forum on Strengthening Cooperation between Harbin and the Sister Cities as listeners in an online format.
Harbin representatives took part in the United Cities Forum (UCF) held in Kazan on September 7-8, 2023, within the framework of the International Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation». Mr. Jiang Chuanhai, Vice-Mayor of Harbin, and Cao Ru, director of the Foreign Affairs Office, spoke on «Preservation of Historical Heritage as the Basis of the City's Identity» at the Plenary Session of the Forum. During the event the Harbin delegation headed by Mr. Jiang Chuanhai, Deputy Mayor of Harbin, met with Deputy Mayor of Kazan Evgeniya Lodvigova, wh ere the parties signed the Protocol of the meeting between the representatives of Kazan and Harbin and agreed to develop friendship and mutual understanding between Russian Federation and China.
A delegation from Harbin participated in the International Architectural and Construction Forum «Kazanysh», which was held on December 5-7, 2023 in Kazan. Ms. Chen Jianfei, Chief Architect of Harbin, Director of the Architectural Construction and Research Institute at Harbin Polytechnic University, dedicated her speech to identity as the most important resource for the development of modern cities. During the forum delegates from Harbin participated in discussions and presentations. In addition to active participation in the forum, the delegation from China visited a number of interesting architectural sites and major attractions of Kazan, such as the Kul Sharif Mosque, the Cathedral of Annunciation of the Kazan Kremlin, the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the Palace of Farmers and the Family Center «Kazan», the City Museum «Panorama» and the House Museum of Vladimir Lenin. The delegates' program included a tour in Kazan State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering and a meeting with First Deputy Director of the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan Insaf Galiev.
On May 16-20, 2024, the Kazan delegation headed by Deputy Head of the Kazan Executive Committee Ildar Shakirov visited the city of Harbin (PRC). As part of the trip, representatives of the Kazan City Hall took part in the Conference on interaction and development of cooperation between Harbin, Shenzhen and the cities of the Russian Federation and visited Pavilion VIII of the Russian-Chinese EXPO. The trip ended with an official meeting of the delegation of the city of Kazan with the leadership of the city of Harbin represented by the Deputy Mayor of the People's Government of the city of Harbin Tan Lewei, the deputy head of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the People's Government of the city of Harbin Wang Ning, and the Deputy Head of the Department of Commerce of the city of Harbin Liu Ming. The parties discussed key areas of cooperation between the cities of Harbin and Kazan.
On June 21-23, 2024, a delegation from Harbin headed by Ms. Wang Ning, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Harbin Municipality, visited Kazan to participate in the International Forum of the BRICS+ Cities.
On February 6-8, 2025, a delegation from Harbin visited Kazan to participate in the international architectural and construction forum «Kazanysh». Song Liwei, Deputy Head of the Harbin Department of Natural Resources and Urban Planning, made a report at the first meeting of the Architecture and Urban Development Committee of the Association of BRICS+ Cities and Municipalities, the association of chief architects of BRICS+ cities, and at the round table discussion: «Cities on the water. User stories that bring urban residents "on the water"».
On 15-16 October 2025, a delegation from Harbin visited Kazan for a working visit to discuss further cooperation between the sister cities.
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Hebron (State of Palestine)Expand Collapse
Photo: flickr.com/photos/youngshanahan
Year of foundation: c. 2200 B.C.
Population: 199,000 (2021)
City area: 2,900 km2
Time Zone: GMT +2
Website: http://www.hebron-city.ps/
About the city:
Hebron is the largest city in the southern part of the West Bank. It is one of the four Holy cities along with the other "four lands of life": Jerusalem, Tiberias and Safed. In February 2010 the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to include the Cave of the Forefathers in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem as national heritage sites.
Joint events, contacts:
On December 10, 2019 the Kazan City Hall hosted a meeting with a delegation from the Palestinian province of Hebron. The parties discussed the prospects of cooperation - the meeting was attended by representatives of investment companies and manufacturing enterprises of Palestine, the Arab Cultural Center in St. Petersburg.
In 2020, the Mayor of Hebron, Taysir Abu Snenya, sent a video greeting on the 100th anniversary of TASSR.
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Hefei (People's Republic of China)Expand Collapse
Photo: Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Hefei City
Year of foundation: 800 BC
Population: 9 465 881 people
The area of the city: 11,434.25 km²
Time zone: GMT +8
Website: http://hefei.gov.cn/
About city:
Located in central-eastern China, Hefei is the capital of Anhui Province and vice-center of a world-class cluster of cities in the Yangtze River Delta due to its east-west location connecting south and north. Surrounded by Chaohu Lake, one of the five largest freshwater lakes in China, Hefei was born out of water and is beautiful because of the lake. Hefei was awarded with the title of «Civilized City» and «China's Happiest City».
Hefei is a mega-city of second significance in the Yangtze River Delta region and an important center of the «The Belt and Road Portal» initiative, and has developed a comprehensive science and technology center of national significance. Today, Hefei is rapidly developing into a world-class innovation city.
It is an ancient and at the same time young city with more than 2,000 years of history, which gave birth to the city's vibrant culture. In recent years, it has become one of the fastest growing cities in China.
Hefei is one of China's «four major science and education centers», with more than 60 universities and colleges such as the University of Science and Technology of China, 138 academies and more than 1,500 research and development organizations of various types. Hefei is also the second comprehensive national science center approved for construction in China, with 12 major scientific projects already in existence, under construction and in the preliminary research stage.
Currently, Hefei has established friendship relations with 32 cities in 19 countries. The conclusion and establishment of friendship cities has enabled the city to have permanent communication links in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and Africa and become an important conduit for all-round overseas cooperation and exchange in the areas of economy and trade, science and technology, culture, education, urban construction and health care.
Joint activities, contacts:
A Hefei delegation headed by Xiao Rangjian, Deputy Head of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Hefei, attended the United Cities Forum (UCF), which was held on 7-8 September 2023 in Kazan as part of the International Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation». During the visit, a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding on deepening co-operation and exchanges between the cities of Kazan and Hefei was signed.
Vice-Mayor of Hefei participated in the online format in the Mayors' Round Table at the annual international forum Kazan Digital Week-2023.
The Party Secretary of the Education Group of Hefei Municipal School No.1, Feng Anbao, took part online in the session «School Exchanges as a Key for Intermunicipal Cooperation» within the framework of the II International Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China - Mutually Beneficial Cooperation», which was held on November 14-15, 2024 in the city. Kazan. A team of chess players from the city of Hefei took part in a chess tournament as part of the Forum.
On August 18, 2025, the Hefei team took part online in the Friendly Chess Tournament between teams from sister and partner cities of Russia and China as part of the III International Business Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China – Mutually Beneficial Cooperation».
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Qingdao (People’s Republic of China)Expand Collapse
Photo: qingdao.gov.cn
Document: Agreement on Establishing Sister City Relations between the City of Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan (Russian Federation) and Qingdao, Shandong Province (People's Republic of China) (2024)Year of foundation: 1891
Area of the city:11,292 km²
Population: 10.3 million (2024)
Time zone: GMT+8
About city:
Qingdao is a sub-provincial city in eastern China, known for its beaches, historic architecture, and brewing culture. It is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea in Shandong Province and serves as an important seaport, economic, and tourist center.
In 2016, Qingdao ranked 12th among Chinese cities by GDP and was among the top ten global ports by tonnage and container throughput for the same year.
Joint events and contacts:
In 2021, official representatives from the cities of Xiamen and Qingdao proposed establishing sister city relations with Kazan. In August 2021, an online meeting was held at the level of international departments to identify possible areas for further cooperation.
On March 1, 2022, the first Kazan-Qingdao International School Forum was held on the theme: «The Flame of the Beijing Winter Olympics: Dialogue of Schoolchildren. Together for a Common Future», as part of a cooperation program for Kazan and Chinese students timed to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Participants included students from the Qingdao Experimental School and the Polylingual Educational Complex «Adymnar» in Kazan.
On March 3, 2022, an international lesson titled «Dialogue of Two Civilizations: Spring Festival in the Traditions of Our Peoples» took place. The event brought together students, teachers, and municipal officials from Kazan, Qingdao, and Jinan, Shandong Province. The joint lesson began with a performance of the song «Together We Face the Future»—dedicated to the 2022 Olympics—by students from Kazan and Qingdao. The song was performed in English, Chinese, Russian, and Tatar, with the Russian and Tatar parts delivered by students from the Polylingual Educational Complex «Adymnar» in Kazan. The international lesson became a highlight event in Qingdao, attracting public and media attention. It was covered by multiple local publications and television outlets. Additionally, in March 2022, in collaboration with the International and Intermunicipal Relations Department of the Kazan City Council and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Qingdao Municipal People's Government, an international online exhibition of children's creativity, titled «Kazan-Qingdao 2022: Together for a Common Future!», was held. The participants were schoolchildren aged 11–15, including twenty students from Kazan, all of whom received certificates.
On June 21-23, 2024, a delegation from Qingdao, led by Mr. Song Mingjie, Deputy Mayor of Qingdao, visited Kazan to participate in the International Forum of BRICS+ Cities.
Deputy Director of the Qingdao Experimental School, Yang Rui, participated online in the session «School Exchanges as a Tool for Inter-Municipal Cooperation» as part of the 2nd International Forum «SPROUTS: Russia and China – Mutually Beneficial Cooperation», which took place on November 14-15, 2024, in Kazan.
On November 18, 2024, in Kunming, on the sidelines of the Chinese International Conference «Cities of Friendship», the head of the International Cooperation Department of the Office of International and Inter-Municipal Relations of the Kazan City Duma, Regina Kozenko, met with the Deputy Head of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the People's Government of Qingdao, Dean Anhui. Prospects for cooperation in education, sports and mutual participation in events in 2025 were discussed.
On November 27, 2024, a teleconference was held between the Polylingual Educational Complex «Adymnar» in Kazan and the Qingdao Experimental School. The main topic of the online lesson was «Chinese and Tatar Literature».
From May 28 to June 3, 2025, a delegation from the Polylingual Educational Complex «Adymnar» in Kazan visited Qingdao. The group consisted of 12 students and three teachers. The host was Experimental School No. 1 in Qingdao.