St. Louis and Nanjing, the first sister cities between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, celebrated 45 years of cultural and economic friendship in 2024.
A delegation from Nanjing visited St. Louis in April 2024 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their sister city relationship (in June). During their visit, the delegation toured Gateway Arch National Park, the Missouri Botanical Gardens for a dragon dance ceremony, the Cortex Innovation District, and met with academic leadership from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. The delegation also spoke with Mayor Tishaura O. Jones regarding continued economic cooperation. The two cities have shared a close relationship since the sister city relationship’s conception in 1979.
The anniversary was particularly meaningful for St. Louis. China is Missouri’s third largest export partner. In 2022, the state’s exports to China were estimated at $2.2 billion, and some 20,000 Missourian jobs are supported by this exchange. Oil, seeds, and grains were the main sectors, accounting for 65% of exports and representing a market of over $1 billion. Other crops as well as sawmill and wood products make up $62 and $53 million respectively, demonstrating the sheer size of the oil, seed, and grain exchange between Missouri and China.
The sister city partnership has extended beyond merely economic exchange. In 2020, Nanjing supplied St. Louis with 30,000 face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic when the city faced supply chain issues which heavily constrained the operating capacity of medical institutions. These masks were part of a larger collaboration between the two cities to tackle medical issues. The cities have continuously facilitated collaboration between Nanjing Drum Hospital, BJC Healthcare, and Washington University in St. Louis, advancing progress in medical research.
The friendship has also seen significant cultural exchanges. St. Louis gifted Nanjing a statue in 2019 of Adam Wainright in mid-pitch. Three years later, St. Louis revealed a bronze statue of a Nanjing batter poised to swing at Wainright’s pitch from across the globe. Most recently, in 2023, Nanjing presented St. Louis with a dragonboat as a gift. The cities also exchanged books between their libraries in the same year, creating further opportunities for residents to directly experience and learn from the relationship.
These developments are particularly notable for representing friendship and collaboration between Missouri and China despite developments between their respective federal-level governments. The St. Louis-Nanjing sister city relationship demonstrates that localities can play a valuable role in maintaining partnerships in the pursuit of mutual understanding.
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 is also in his final semester pursuing an undergraduate degree in Global International Relations at American University under its Joint Degree Program with Ritsumeikan University in Japan.