The city council of Stockton, California, has made a decisive move to sever a decades-long international relationship, voting unanimously to end its sister city partnership with Foshan, China.
The resolution, passed on Tuesday night, brings a formal close to a 36-year alliance that city officials now say was fraught with an inability to foster genuine communication and collaboration. The partnership, originally formed in 1988, was intended to promote cultural and economic exchange between the two urban centres.
A Relationship Gone Silent
According to Stockton City Council member Paul Canepa, who brought the motion forward, the relationship had become utterly dormant. He revealed that numerous attempts to establish a 'meaningful dialogue' with officials in Foshan had gone unanswered, leaving the partnership as a mere 'paper agreement' with no substantive benefits for the citizens of Stockton.
'It’s a one-way street,' Canepa stated, emphasising the lack of reciprocity. The final straw appears to have been a fundamental clash of values, particularly concerning human rights and international diplomacy.
Values Over Protocol
The council's decision was heavily influenced by what it perceives as China’s aggressive foreign policy stance and its human rights record. The resolution explicitly mentioned these concerns, signalling that the continuation of the relationship was untenable without shared principles.
'It's about standing up for what we believe in,' Canepa added, framing the dissolution as a necessary moral stand rather than a simple administrative act.
A Growing Trend?
Stockton’s action mirrors a broader trend of re-evaluation. Other cities across the United States are similarly scrutinising their international sister city agreements, weighing diplomatic goodwill against contemporary geopolitical realities and core municipal values. This move raises questions about the future of such sub-national diplomacy in an era of heightened US-China tensions.
The City of Stockton has stated it is now open to establishing new sister city relationships with municipalities that share a stronger alignment of values and a commitment to mutual exchange.
