On January 30, Chinese Consul General Xue Jian attended the opening ceremony of the "Jinan Photography Exhibition" in Wakayama City to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the ties between the cities of Jinan and Wakayama. About 70 people, including representatives from various sectors of Wakayama City and ordinary citizens, attended the event.

Since Jinan City and Wakayama City formally became friendship cities in 1983, they have been solidly promoting practical cooperation and actively carrying out humanistic exchanges. The two sides celebrated the 40th anniversary of the tie and held photo exhibitions of each other's cities, which is conducive to deepening mutual understanding between the citizens of the two places and strengthening the friendly relations between the two cities. "It is hoped that more Japanese people will take this photo exhibition as an opportunity to come into Jinan and China and experience the rapid development of China in the new era. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the friendship between Shandong Province and Wakayama Prefecture. We look forward to Jinan and Wakayama City, as the capitals of the two provinces and prefectures, continuing to promote in-depth exchanges and cooperation in various fields and committing themselves to building a community of development and destiny so as to inject more positive energy into the comprehensive promotion of Sino-Japanese strategic and reciprocal relations on a civil and local level.

　　Wakayama City attaches great importance to cooperation with Jinan City Friendship City. The two sides were held in each other's cities. The photography exhibition is not only a witness of deep friendship but also a promotion of the people of the two countries getting to know each other further and a new opportunity to get acquainted with each other. We are willing to continue to carry forward the tradition of friendship, dig deeper into the potential of cooperation, and promote the relationship between the two cities to a new level.

　　Wakayama City is the first international friend city of Jinan. Over the past 40 years, the two cities have worked hand in hand to carry out a wide range of exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and have achieved fruitful results. We look forward to this event adding new highlights to the humanistic exchanges between the two cities, enhancing mutual understanding, and deepening the traditional friendship between the two sides. Japanese friends are welcome to visit Jinan and experience the vitality and charm of the city.

Other guests expressed that China and Japan are close in geography and humanity, and good neighborliness is the only right choice for both sides. Willing to continue the deep friendship between the two places, carry forward the "people for government" tradition, promote the two sides of the people, especially the majority of young people, to strengthen exchanges, for the two cities to open up a better 40 years of friendship and cooperation.

　　The photo exhibition is one of the activities jointly organized by Jinan and Wakayama to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the ties. In December 2023, the "Wakayama Photo Exhibition in Commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the Ties between Jinan and Wakayama" was held in Jinan, China.

（Li Jiayin; Li Xiaotong; Hua Shan; Gong Lili; Yuan Yuhua; Hou Yawen; Liu Xiaohan; Lou Xinyu; Han Wenzhi; Wang Xi; Yang Yang; Xu Jiayi; Liu Lu; Chong Yaqi; Li Ziyue; Chen Zeyu; Liu Qianying; Zhang Kaiyang; Wang Yuquan; Zhou Yiru; Zhou Nan; Zhang Xun）