Bangkok and Honolulu announced in February 2025 that they would reignite the dormant sister city relationship between the two cities, the first time in over a decade the Thai capital has renewed commitments to a sister city relationship.
In February 2025, Bangkok dispatched a delegation led by Dr. John (Surachit Phongsinghvithya), Chairman of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council, to their sister city of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. They were hosted by Mr. Tommy Waters, Chairman and Presiding Officer for District IV of the Honolulu City Council. Though the two cities have long shared a sister city relationship, it has fallen inactive for over a decade. This visit marks a significant reinvestment from both cities, especially in economic and urban development.
The officials and their teams spoke regarding topics including urban planning, budget management, and solutions to local challenges. Public transit infrastructure was a particular point of discussion, with Dr. John’s delegation visiting the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART). This came after HART awarded the final contract for its large-scale “Skyline” rail project aiming to connect the city through automated trains. During their meeting, Dr. John shared about how Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain network integrates multiple forms of transit, while Honolulu discussed its new rail transit system. HART expressed interest in the multi-modal nature of Bangkok’s transit system, which encompasses the BTS Skytrain, Metropolitan Rapid Transit, and public boat services. HART officials also offered Bangkok insights on sustainability and efficient project management practices in the continued efforts to improve infrastructure.
The discussions were fruitful: Dr. John announced that Bangkok will host a delegation from Honolulu to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and officially reaffirm the sister city partnership in December 2025. Directly motivated by the January visit from Bangkok, the Council and City of Honolulu passed Resolution 25-98 in April 2025 to formally support the sister city relationship. Resolution 25-98 specifically references the exchange of information on “multimodal public transportation” and the promotion of cultural exchange. While the agreement will not take effect until it is also signed by Bangkok later this year, this strong demonstration of both cities’ support for the partnership is sure to bolster its success.
The development with Bangkok follows Honolulu’s recent establishment of several new sister city relationships in the Indo-Pacific. Chief among these efforts was a 2024 agreement with Shibuya, Japan. This agreement was soon followed by another just days later, with Avarua, Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands—bringing Honolulu’s total number of sister city relationships to a staggering 37 partners. 2024 also saw the reaffirmation of Honolulu’s sister city ties with Uwajima, Japan. Though there is no official list of US cities with the most partnerships, this may well put Honolulu in first place, eclipsing other large cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Honolulu’s motivations for these relationships vary, including educational exchanges, cultural and historical ties, and shared economic goals.
The renewal of sister city ties with Bangkok also follows a longer string of sister city reaffirmation agreements: with Sakai City, Japan in 2022; Izu Oshima and Sumoto City, Japan in 2023; Cabugao City, Philippines in 2023; and Hualien, Taiwan in 2024. Through these efforts, Honolulu is truly embracing city exchange and positioning itself as a leader in grassroots diplomacy. Doing so will help its people build ties with partners around the world, cultivate a populace at the forefront of international relations, and promote Honolulu’s culture, business, and prosperity.
The Sister Cities Series covers notable Sister City Partnerships with Asia across the United States, highlighting cooperation and exchange serving as a foundation to improve relations and understanding between peoples and localities in the United States and the Indo-Pacific.
Tommis Meyer is a Spring 2025 Young Professional Intern at the East-West Center in Washington. Tommis holds an undergraduate degree in Global International Relations from American University under its Joint Degree Program with Ritsumeikan University in Japan.