A souvenir folder is unveiled to mark the 50th anniversary of sister-city ties between Tianjin and Kobe on June 24 in Tianjin.  TONG YU/CHINA NEWS SERVICE

Senior officials from Tianjin and Kobe, Japan, expect to develop deeper relations and play a larger role in strengthening overall Sino-Japanese ties after a series of events was held in the Chinese municipality on June 24 to mark the 50th anniversary of the sister-city relationship.

Tianjin and Kobe developed the first sister-city relationship in China.

An exhibition was held to highlight their joint efforts in the past 50 years in the development of Kobe Park, which features the Japanese city's scenery, history and culture in Tianjin.

Souvenir folders containing commemorative stamps were handed out during the opening of the exhibition, and Tianjin Tower, one of the highest towers in Asia, hosted a celebratory LED light show.

Luan Jianzhang, director of the Tianjin Foreign Affairs Office, conveyed a message on behalf of Mayor Zhang Gong, noting that the two cities have effectively collaborated on various projects, including port logistics, medical services, urban greenery and animal husbandry.

"A multilevel partnership has taken shape," Zhang wrote in his message, adding that he expected the two cities to play a larger role in overall Sino-Japanese friendship.

Kobe Mayor Kizo Hisamoto sent a message acknowledging the anniversary, noting that over the past 50 years, the two cities have partnered to tackle challenges such as the Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

He expects them to strengthen ties and improve their communications.

Statistics show that since the two cities established ties in 1973, 263 pairs of Chinese and Japanese cities have become sister cities, according to the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

To date, Tianjin has developed such ties with 99 cities from 53 countries.

Kenji Takahashi, chief representative of Kobe in China, said Kobe people cherish their friendship with Tianjin.

Since 1981, Tianjin has sent two pandas to Kobe, and a series of exchanges have been held between the two cities, he said.

In the mid-1980s, Kobe helped Tianjin Port create medium- and long-term strategic plans. In 1993, Kobe invested 500 million yen ($3.47 million) to build the Tianjin Metabolic Disease Control and Prevention Center. In 2008, a Confucius classroom was set up at the Kobe Toyo Medical School to teach traditional Chinese medicine.

And in 2018, the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine helped Japanese medical schools establish acupuncture degree programs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, both cities donated anti-pandemic supplies to each other. Deng Wei, a counselor at the Department of Asian Affairs with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said this year marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, and he expects the two cities to make greater contributions to the nations' relationship.

Kijima Yoshiko, minister of culture and information at the Japanese Embassy in China, said: "The two countries should build stronger ties via civil communications, and Tianjin and Kobe have taken the lead in the field."