Sister Cities- U.S. to China

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A retired law enforcement officer once told me that "when you look into the darkness, the darkness looks back at you". I have been remembering him tell me that, as I have been watching the news lately. While seeing American culture shatter, I wonder how long it will be before China declares victory in the war of culture.





"Sister Cities International began in 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower envisioned a way for U.S. cities to create formal partnerships with foreign cities. Municipality to municipality, cities could exchange information and ideas in order to develop friendships and deepen cultural understanding. This vision sparked the creation of Sister Cities International, which today includes more than 500 U.S. cities with relationships in 145 countries – a total of some 2,000 municipal partnerships. Each year, thousands of citizen diplomats, young and old, represent the United States around the world, promoting democracy and understanding.

The mission of Sister Cities International is to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time. It is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between the U.S. and international communities. We strive to build global cooperation at the municipal level, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development."

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This is from the Fort Worth Sister Cities program.


"In 2011, Guiyang, China, was officially signed as Fort Worth’s eighth sister. During this year, the organization attended an energy summit in Beijing; an economic development forum in Nanjing, China; and a trade mission with Suwon, South Korea.

In 2014, the board undertook a major reorganization, signed a five-year contract with the City of Fort Worth for funding, moved its offices into City Hall and adopted a long-range plan that would guide the organization for the next three years. During this year, the organization launched the inaugural Spanish Immersion Camp in partnership with the Fort Worth ISD. Over the next four years, the organization led exploratory missions to Vietnam, Cuba, Jordan and Russia, in order broaden the scope of the world for Fort Worth citizens beyond Fort Worth’s sister cities."

[albion]

If you donate 25 large to their org, you get access to the city council. Does China also get access?


Platinum Member Benefits:

Logo inclusion in print and digitally during the year
Two tables of 8 at the Mayor's International Dinner
Invitations for 16 to the Mayor’s Dinner VIP reception
Two tables of 8 at the Annual Meeting
Up to two hours of complimentary protocol training
Name listed as benefactor on series of cultural competency training modules provided to the FWISD
Four hours on-site international protocol training
Invitation to attend a private Members Circle Luncheon with members of the Fort Worth City Council

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This is the stated impact for the town of FT Worth.


Deepening intercultural understanding positively impacts our community and our world in countless ways, providing significant economic and cultural benefits to the city of Fort Worth including:

Annual economic impact of more than $14 million
500 visitors annually for cultural and educational exchanges
15,000 days spent in Fort Worth by visitors each year due to exchanges
Nearly $100,000 awarded in educational scholarships annually
Virtually raised awareness of cultural competency and training opportunities, reaching thousands

[albion]

This is a quote from a participant. There seems to be some kind of disconnect here. Is this the China that just broke its treaty with Hong Kong, is threatening to invade Taiwan, is taking over the South China Sea, is enslaving the Uyghurs? Is this a true cultural exchange? Or is China manipulating the goal of the "sister city" program? Below is also a quote from the BBC. It makes it sound like Eugenics.



"“My first international experience with Sister Cities was in Guiyang, China. One day we would be playing soccer with local high school students and the next we were learning how to plow rice fields with the rural Miao people. Experiences like these formed some of the most memorable and diverse adventures I have been a part of and showed me the importance of cultural diversity and understanding.” – Zoe Deprang"


BBC
"Human rights groups believe China has detained more than one million Uyghurs against their will over the past few years in a large network of what the state calls "re-education camps", and sentenced hundreds of thousands to prison terms.

There is also evidence that Uyghurs are being used as forced labour and of women being forcibly sterilised. Some former camp detainees have also alleged they were tortured and sexually abused."

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This is from one of the board members of the national Sister Cities Org. Is it time to rethink this program in relation to what our goals are, and what Chinese goals might be?


"I entered international education through strategic partnership development with universities across the globe. FHSU was the first American university approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education to offer bachelor’s degrees to Chinese students without requiring them to study abroad. I oversee this unique partnership, hiring over 60 faculty to live and teach in China, and since 2001, have graduated over 10,000 Chinese students. In addition, in 2016, I was a recipient of a Fulbright Scholar International Education Administrator Award to France."



"My first exposure to Sister Cities International was when I led the establishment of the first Chinese sister cities relationship between Hays, Kansas and Xinzheng, Henan province where the Fort Hays State University bachelor’s degree university partner is located. This culminated in the first red-carpet visit by the Chinese mayor to Hays when the sister city agreement and proclamation were signed."

[albion]

I dont have a plan for this thread. I do have an idea of where I am going with it. This is something I believe needs to be considered while reading about sister cities between the west and China, or any potential rival of China. This is the board game called GO. It is vastly different than Chess.


"Go or Weiqi, Weichi (Chinese: 围棋；pinyin: wéiqí) is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. [1][2] A 2016 survey by the International Go Federation's 75 member nations found that there are over 46 million people worldwide who know how to play Go and over 20 million current players, the majority of whom live in East Asia.[3]

The playing pieces are called stones. One player uses the white stones and the other, black. The players take turns placing the stones on the vacant intersections (points) of a board. Once placed on the board, stones may not be moved, but stones are removed from the board if the stone (or group of stones) is surrounded by opposing stones on all orthogonally-adjacent points, in which case the stone is captured.[4] The game proceeds until neither player wishes to make another move. When a game concludes, the winner is determined by counting each player's surrounded territory along with captured stones and komi (points added to the score of the player with the white stones as compensation for playing second).[5] Games may also be terminated by resignation."

[albion]

This is from one of the board members. I dont have a problem with the people involved. Understanding other cultures helps us understand our own, and understand ourselves. There is much more I could say about this in regards to the benefits of honest cultural exchange, but in the context of exchange with China, I dont think it is being reciprocated.


"Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she served as the Capacity Building Consultant for Sister Cities International, based in Washington, DC"

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FW Sister Cities board member. These are the people who China has access to. He is truly an outstanding figure. And his opinion must have considerable influence both in TX and DC. I cant believe that anyone could mislead or bribe him with anything. So I am incredibly interested in knowing why Americans are so eager to develop these relationships with China.

Vice Chancellor Emeritus

anon is vice chancellor emeritus, senior fellow in the John V. Roach Honors College, and senior fellow in the Bob Schieffer College of Communication, at TCU. He is also adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in Washington, DC.

anon came to TCU in 1966 as a faculty member in radio, TV film, and later switched to strategic communication. He became head of continuing education, the summer school, noncredit programs, and executive seminars in 1974 in order to enhance both the university’s degree and non-degree programs for adults and commitment to lifelong learning. In 1980 he joined central administration as director of university relations, and in the years following held positions overseeing strategic communication, university marketing, government affairs, athletics marketing, and alumni relations. Eventually he became vice chancellor for marketing and communication, followed by vice chancellor for government affairs.

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www.dispatch.com/news/20200217/sister-cities-programs-source-of-china-interference-pompeo-claims


Pompeo called China’s actions “methodical in assessing our vulnerabilities and exploiting our freedoms.” He urged the governors to take the threat seriously.
Joe Hamrick, chairman of Cincinnati’s Cin-Liu Sister City Committee, said the linkage with Liuzhou, China, already has been hurt by Trump administration policy.
For the past 30 years, the Chinese city has sent a team of educators to Cincinnati to help improve their ability to teach Chinese subject matter in English.
Last year was the first time the Chinese teachers were denied tourist visas for the five-month class.
“They basically put the kibosh on a wonderful program that won awards,” Hamrick said. He is now working with Ohio lawmakers to try to reinstate the program.
Hamrick, who has visited Liuzhou more than a dozen times, said he can’t imagine what, other than goodwill, the Chinese government would have taken.