Opening Chengdu Becomes More International 开放活力 成都越来越有“国际范儿”

Strolling on the streets in downtown Chengdu, you can feel and enjoy an atmosphere of modernity and vitality everywhere. In the hustling and bustling CBDs like Chunxi Road and cultural blocks like Wide & Narrow Alleys, it is a common sight that hordes of foreigners, with great curiosity and interest, explore the city’s culture and experience local people’s life. Attractions, shopping centers, restaurants and pubs, tea-houses——visitors can enjoy everything they want including sightseeing, shopping and nightlife.

As an important city linking the “Road and Belt Initiative” (the “Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road”) and the Yangtze River Economic Zone, Chengdu is speeding up its pace of building itself into a national major city in China. Blessed with a favorable geographical and regional location, it is becoming an international metropolis. So far, the city has established the sister-city relationship with 31 cities around the world, among which many are well-known cities in the G20 member countries.

Chengdu is the first city in western China offering 72-hour visa-free stays to international transit passengers. Any visitor from 51 countries including the US, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Canada or Russia, etc. who has a third country’s visa and an onward air ticket to leave for a third country or region within 72 hours can stay in Chengdu for 72 hours. In addition, Chengdu has started a Living in Chengdu Program to provide better living and working environment for foreigners in Chengdu. Over the recent years, the number of international air routes between Chengdu and other cities across the globe has been increasing fast. So far, 89 international (regional) routes have been open with 74 international (regional) destinations. With the city’s accelerating pace of globalization and launch of the Chengdu-Europe Express Rail Cargo Service, Chengdu has become the forefront in western China to open up to the outside world.

Chengdu has implemented a 72-hour Visa-free Transit Policy since Sept. 1, 2013, and becomes the fourth city in China, after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, to offer the 72-hour visa-free stays to foreign transit passengers.

The 72-hour Visa-free Transit Policy has significantly helped the city develop its culture, tourism, commerce and air traffic.

The Living in Chengdu Program for foreigners is regarded as a highly essential move for the city to become an international metropolis. Aimed to offer better public services and natural and human environment to foreign nationals living in the city, the program involves all work on release of public information and foreigner-oriented public services.

The Living in Chengdu Program is highly praised by the U.S. Consul General in Chengdu Raymond Greene, “it will bring lots of conveniences to foreigners and it is really a great job.” Australian Consul General in Chengdu Nancy Gordon said, “It is very helpful for foreigners to live and work in Chengdu”. Consular officers from several countries in Chengdu also expressed high expectations for the program.

Chengdu has established the sister-city relationship with 31 cities across the globe including Phoenix, Honolulu, Bonn, Montpellier, Perth, etc., of which some are from the G20 members.

With the furthering cooperation and exchanges between Chengdu and its sister cities, the city has launched lots of initiatives and programs to expand the ties, including hosting the Chengdu International Youth Music Festival and offering scholarships for international students and civil servants from the sister cities.

Montpellier became Chengdu’s sister city in 1981, and it is the first French city to establish such friendly relationship with Chengdu. Since 2012, both parties have set up sister schools in each other’s cities.

本版英文翻译 GoChengdu编辑部

成都在新加坡举办“推成促新”活动，受到了新加坡民众的热烈欢迎

Singaporeans welcome Chengdu’s promotional activities

蒙彼利埃国际小学

Montpellier International Primary School       

漫步成都的大街小巷，越来越“国际范儿”。在春熙路、宽窄巷子等闹市区，随处都能看到金发碧眼的外国人成群结队地逛街、购物、品尝小吃、喝盖碗茶；在成都的各色火锅店甚至周边的农家乐里，也能找到不同肤色的外国人在大快朵颐；而在都江堰等风景名胜区，各国语言交织起伏早已不是新鲜事。

而正在加快建设国家中心城市的成都，地处“一带一路”与长江经济带交汇点上，腹地优势和区位优势明显，其国际化大都市的建设也正同步加快。目前，成都已有31个国际友城，友城全球布局更为完善，与多数G20成员国的知名城市结好，形成“成都的朋友遍天下”的良好态势。

不仅如此，成都还是中国西部第一个实行“72小时过境免签”政策的城市。如果持有有效的第三国签证和联程机票，来自美国、日本、德国、法国、英国、意大利、加拿大、俄罗斯等51个国家的乘客能够在此停留三天。同时，成都已启动实施外籍人士“家在成都”工程，为外籍人士在蓉工作生活创造更好环境。近年来，成都的国际航线更是增长迅猛，截至目前已开通国际（地区）航线89条，国际（地区）通航城市74个。国际航线迅速攀升，中欧班列蓉欧快铁成功开行，曾经的西部内陆城市，正在成为国家向西开放的前沿。成都正以更大范围、更深层次、更加主动的姿态，加快国际化进程，而开放的活力也随之迸发出更大的推动力。

宽松的签证政策，是城市对外开放程度的重要标志，也是国际上扩大对外开放、刺激旅游、商贸和商务经济发展的通行做法。经国务院批准，2013年9月1日起，成都双流机场口岸对45个国家持有第三国签证和机票的外国人实行72小时过境免办签证政策。三个月后，获准享受在成都“72小时过境免签”的国家再加6国，达到了51个国家。这些国家的人员，持有第三国签证和72小时内确定日期、座位前往第三国(地区)的联程机票，可以在不持有中国签证的情况下，从成都双流国际机场入境和出境，在成都行政区划内停留72小时。成都成为继北京、上海、广州之后过境免签的“第四城”，畅顺的通关让成都人与世界的交流变得轻松。

从国内外经验来看，实施境外游客72小时或更长时间的过境免办签证政策，不仅是国际航空枢纽形成的重要政策支撑，也是不少国际城市扩大对外开放、提升城市经济聚集力和辐射力的重要举措。“72小时过境免签”,既检验了成都“交通先行”、加快构建国际性内陆综合交通枢纽的硬件成绩,也检验了成都“全域开放”、打造与国际接轨的政务环境的软件优势。

外籍人士“家在成都”工程是成都国际化大都市建设的重要举措，旨在通过该工程营造成都国际化大都市氛围，提升外籍人士在成都工作生活居家的便利程度，增进外籍人士对成都的融入感和归属感。外籍人士“家在成都”工程将紧密结合成都国际化大都市建设工作，分期分批实施政府公共信息发布、涉外公共服务保障、涉外公共服务提升三个板块17项工作。

“成都启动的外籍人士‘家在成都’工程将为来蓉工作生活的外籍人士提供非常多的便利，是一项非常好的工程。”美国驻成都总领事谷立言对“家在成都”工程给予了高度评价。澳大利亚驻成都总领事郭南希也认为，“外籍人士‘家在成都’工程对在成都工作生活的外籍人士将有很大的帮助，非常好。”多国驻（涉）蓉领事官员对外籍人士“家在成都”工程充满了期待。

正“加速度”建设国家中心城市和国际化大都市的成都急速扩容国际友城“朋友圈”，目前，成都已有31个国际友城，友城全球布局更为完善。其中，美国菲尼克斯、美国檀香山、德国波恩、法国蒙彼利埃、澳大利亚珀斯、加拿大温尼伯、英国谢菲尔德、意大利巴勒莫、韩国金泉、韩国大邱等G20成员国的国际知名城市都是成都的亲密朋友。

随着成都友城数量和质量同步提升，友城交流合作愈加密切。成都友城青年音乐周等品牌项目的打造，友城留学生和公务员奖学金的实施，进一步强化了成都与友城间的情感纽带，促进了务实合作。成都凭借不断创新交往方式和搭建交往平台，推动友城多边合作，并以强化项目为依托，推动友城务实合作，先后获得“人民友谊贡献奖”“国际友好城市合作交流奖”“国际友城战略发展奖”等多个重要奖项。

法国蒙彼利埃与成都于1981年结为友好城市，成为中法之间第一对国际友城。2012年起两市开始互建“姐妹学校”，即位于成都的蒙彼利埃小学和位于蒙彼利埃的成都小学，开了中法交流史上首次以对方城市命名学校的先河。2014年9月，“成都蒙彼利埃小学”应运而生。

以蒙小为范例，一大批国际友城也正与成都共商合作办学的项目：成都与丹麦霍森斯市合作办学的成都霍森斯小学、幼儿园明年9月有望开学；今年3月，成都与英国谢菲尔德市已签署关于开展国际教育合作谅解备忘录，双方就共建成都谢菲尔德幼儿园、小学正进行深入探讨；成都与新西兰哈密尔顿市在2016创交会期间签署相关协议，探讨建立成都哈密尔顿幼儿园、成都哈密尔顿小学的构想；成都金泉小学与韩国金泉栗谷初等学校缔结为姊妹学校……