Opening B.C. Communities to the World

The B.C. Asia Twinnings website is a one stop source of information and resources related to establishing, maintaining and enhancing twinning or sister-city relationships between B.C. local governments and their Asian counterparts.

The Asia Pacific region is home to over one-third of the earth’s population and has the world’s fastest growing economies with a US$10 trillion market and US$2.5 trillion in foreign reserves for investment.

British Columbia’s geographic location and international linkages provide it with tremendous potential to fulfill its position as the North American gateway to the Asia Pacific. B.C. local government economies can be key beneficiaries of positive relationships with cities in Asia.

Twinning arrangements are powerful tools to enhance relationships between local governments and communities as a whole.

In Asia, many business partnerships are built on personal relationships. Establishing twinning arrangements between local governments is one step towards embracing the untapped economic potential available in Asia through establishing a familiarity between local government partners that may evolve into economically robust relationships.

Currently, local governments in B.C. are involved in over 100 twinning arrangements with international communities. Approximately half of these arrangements are with communities in the Asia Pacific, primarily cities in Japan and, to a lesser extent, China.