The Chinatown Friendship Gate is pictured in Philadelphia, the United States, March 13, 2019. The amazing similarities in port, science and cultural diversity have helped fostering 40 years of sisterhood between the Chinese coastal city of Tianjin and the U.S. eastern city of Philadelphia. [Photo/Xinhua]

As the two cities celebrate their 40 years of sisterhood, Philadelphia and Tianjin seek to expand their cooperation in education and biotechnology, Philadelphia's sister city program runner told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Siobhan Lyons, president and CEO of Citizen Diplomacy International (CDI), said a host of Tianjin delegations, in the fields of education and pharmaceuticals, will visit Philadelphia by the end of the year, and then a delegation from her city will visit Tianjin probably in November.

"So that will be the beginning of the celebration (of the 40 years of sisterhood), and we'll be carrying it through all of next year as well," she said.

In December 1979, the eastern U.S. city of Philadelphia and the Chinese coastal city of Tianjin became sister cities -- one of the first such pairs -- after the two countries established diplomatic ties in the same year.

In the following years, the sisterhood between the two port cities has produced mutual benefits in a wide range of fields, including education, commerce and culture.

On the sidelines of the recent U.S.-China Sister Cities Mayors' Summit, which also commemorated the 40th anniversary of U.S.-China diplomatic ties, Lyons said she was delighted to represent Philadelphia, as she felt "wonderful to be part of a much larger U.S.-China celebration."

She told Xinhua that a high-level Tianjin delegation will come to Philadelphia next week to discuss educational opportunities, which is the beginning of a three-year-plan to massively increase the number of students studying in Philadelphia from Tianjin.

"The best way to create understanding is to create links between young people," she said, adding it is very important for young people to speak foreign languages, so that they have the opportunity to understand people from different backgrounds.

One of the areas Philadelphia is considering for its three-year education exchange plan is music, Lyons said, for instance, by carrying out exchanges between the city's orchestras or different music schools.

She said that Philadelphia is very famous for its music schools, and that music is an international language which builds bridges between people.

On this note, she recalled a successful performance by the Philadelphia Orchestra in China in May, which included a show in Tianjin.

The orchestra was the first from the United States to perform in China in 1973, six years before the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

Next week, Lyons said, the orchestra will again entertain their Tianjin friends in the Mann Center, a scenic outdoor venue.

Turning to biotechnology cooperation, Lyons said Tianjin is looking at biotechnology and pharmaceuticals as a driving force of its economy.

Elaborating on Philadelphia's advantages, she said "we're very strong in what we call eds and meds, education and medicine. We have more universities and more university students than any other city in the United States, which means we have a wonderful talent stream for companies that are looking to relocate there."

Also, Philadelphia plays a leading role in life sciences, with the presence of about 80 percent of the world's pharmaceutical companies, figures from the Philadelphia Department of Commerce show.

According to the Brookings Institution, from 2010 to 2016, the foreign direct investment to Philadelphia from China in the biotech industry was five times higher than that of Boston, which is home to Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"I think over the next three years, we're going to see a lot more activities between Philadelphia and Tianjin," Lyons said. "China is such an important partner for the United States, and Tianjin, as a result, is a hugely important partner for the city of Philadelphia."

At the mayors' summit, besides the trade discussions between the two countries, she said the participants were also interested to hear how ordinary Americans and Chinese people feel about each other.

"I think it's very important for the two peoples to continue the strong friendships that we built. The best way for us to overcome any national issues is to enhance understanding between the people," she said.

Overall, she thought the summit participants were very optimistic. "It's a great chance to make new friends, to set up new partnerships and to discuss ways to make the next 40 years successful."