China Rekindles Sister City Ties as Relations Remain Strained

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, stands next to Beijing Party Secretary Yin Li during a meeting in Beijing, Oct. 26, 2023. Newsom was on a weeklong tour of China. FILE - Choir students from Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., sing with choir students from Tacoma's sister city, Fuzhou, during a performance for Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Tacoma's Lincoln High School, Sept. 23, 2015. FILE - A woman walks her dog through morning fog near the Fuzhou Ting Pavilion at the Chinese Reconciliation Park in Tacoma, Wash., on Dec. 7, 2017. The pavilion was donated by officials in Fuzhou, China, one of Tacoma's sister cities.

As Washington and Beijing move cautiously to mend frayed relations, China is working to boost people-to-people ties, which saw a dramatic decline during the COVID pandemic.