Alliance established in Taizhou city to build national unity

A raft of cities from nine provinces join hands to establish an alliance. [Photo/tznews.cn]

A grand group of 22 cities from nine provinces in China joined hands to establish a Silk Road Messenger Alliance for National Unity, Progress and Development – participating in signing ceremony held on Aug 3, in Taizhou city, in East China's Jiangsu province.

As the first cross-province regional alliance in China, the alliance covers the cities of Quanzhou, Guilin, Anshun, Kunming, Lijiang, Qushui, Xianyang, Jiuquan, Zhaosu county in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region – as well as 13 prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu province.

As the initiator city of the alliance, Taizhou will hold regular summits, forums and exhibitions. Each alliance member will take turns to organize activities such as economic and trade negotiations, human resource cooperation, cultural exchanges to promote interconnection, connectivity and interactions among cities.

The Silk Road Messenger was originally a single cycling event which first took place in 2017, departing from Taizhou and arriving in Xinjiang. Covering 5,171 kilometers, the event set a record for a cycling distance at home and abroad.

It's subsequently evolved into a platform that integrates the functions of promoting national unity, cultural and sports exchanges, public welfare and charity, as well as international economic and trade cooperation.