7月28日，在市政府外辦、市对外友协的大力支持与推动下，重庆市万州区与奥地利古兴市正式缔结国际友好城市关系。万州区区长聂红焰与奥地利共和国布尔根兰德州古兴市市长文森茨·科诺尔代表双方签署建立国际友好城市关系协议书。

自2011年万州区通过奥地利欧中环境促进会与古兴市建立联系以来，双方逐步增进友谊和了解。2016年5月，万州区政府代表团对古兴市进行友好访问，签署了“发展友好城市关系备忘录”。同年11月，古兴市政府代表团回访，并出席由中国人民对外友好协会、中国国际友好城市联合会、重庆市人民政府共同主办的2016中国国际友好城市大会。之后双方在环保、旅游等领域开展了广泛深入的交流。

万州区地处“一带一路”和长江经济带结合部，正积极实践“一心六型”两化路径，深入推进“产业生态化、生态产业化”先行示范区建设。改善生态环境，坚决打赢污染防治攻坚战，大力提升全域水质，筑牢长江上游重要生态屏障，需要学习借鉴先进生态环保理念，需要积极引进环境保护和生态建设现代化技术经验。与古兴市建立友好城市关系，双方可在生态保护、循环经济、乡村振兴、旅游发展等多领域开展交流合作。

万州区与古兴市成功签署建立国际友好城市关系协议，是万州区对外工作“十四五”规划实施取得的重大阶段性成果。截至目前，万州区已与法国热尔省、乌克兰切尔卡塞市、美国韦恩斯伯勒市、白俄罗斯明斯克州科佩尔区和奥地利古兴市等5个城市建立了国际友好城市关系。

古兴市

奥地利是最早响应“一带一路”倡议的欧洲国家之一，是“一带一路”中东欧通往西欧的桥梁。古兴市位于奥地利东部的布尔根兰州南部，2007年成为欧盟确认的第一个二氧化碳零排放地区、奥地利城镇再生能源技术中心、欧盟21世纪典范项目实施地、全球第一个100%采用可再生能源驱动的城市。这一发展模式被国际上称为“古兴模式”。

来源/重庆外事公众号 编辑/贺煜

On July 28， with the great support and promotion of Foreign Affairs Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government and Chongqing Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， Wanzhou District of Chongqing officially became the international sister cities with Güssing City of Austria. Nie Hongyan， chief of Wanzhou District， and Vinzenz Knor， mayor of Güssing City， Burgenland， the Republic of Austria， signed an agreement on the establishment of international sister city relations on behalf of the two sides.

Since Wanzhou District established contact with Güssing City through the European China Environment Promotion Association of Austria in 2011， the two sides have gradually enhanced friendship and understanding. In May 2016， Wanzhou District government delegation paid a friendship visit to Güssing City and signed the Memorandum on Developing Friendship Cities Relations. In November of the same year， the delegation of Güssing Municipal Government paid a return visit and attended the 2016 China International Friendship Cities Conference co-organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， China Federation of International Friendship Cities and Chongqing Municipal People's Government. After that， the two sides carried out extensive and in-depth exchanges in the fields of environmental protection and tourism.

Located in the juncture of "Belt and Road" and the Yangtze River Economic Belt， Wanzhou District is actively implementing the path of "one core， six types"， and further promotes the construction of the pilot demonstration area of "industrial ecology and ecological Industrialization". To improve the ecological environment， resolutely win the battle of pollution prevention and control， vigorously improve the water quality of the entire region and build a key ecological barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River， we need to learn from advanced ecological and environmental protection concepts and actively introduce modern technical experience in environmental protection and ecological building. By twinning up with Güssing City， the two sides can carry out exchanges and cooperation in ecological protection， circular economy， rural revitalization， tourism development and other fields.

Wanzhou District and Güssing City have successfully signed an agreement on the establishment of international sister city relations， which is a major phased achievement in the implementation of the 14th Five Year Plan for Wanzhou District's foreign work. Up to now， Wanzhou District has established international sister city relations with five cities， including Gers Province of France， Cherkasy City of Ukraine， Waynesboro City of the United States， Koper  District of Minsk state of Belarus and Güssing City of Austria.

Güssing City

One of the earliest countries responding to "Belt and Road" Initiative， Austria is the first central European country to communicate the initiative to the West Europe. Located in the south of Burgenland in the east of Austria， in 2007， Güssing City became the first carbon dioxide zero emission area recognized by the EU， the Austrian Urban Renewable Energy Technology Center， the implementation site of the EU model program in the 21st century， and the world's first city driven by 100% renewable energy. This development model is internationally known as the "Güssing model".

Source /WeChat public account of Chongqing Foreign Affairs   Editor/He Yu