Salisbury Officials Explore Opportunities for Collaboration with Friendship City in Dalian, China

Dalian China

SALISBURY, MD – City Administrator Julia Glanz is pleased to announce renewed partnership with Salisbury Friendship City Dalian, China.

Furthering Salisbury’s partnerships with our international partners, City Administrator Glanz recently engaged in a Zoom conference with officials from the City of Dalian, China and the University of Dalian. Joined by Dr. Brian Stiegler and Mr. David Treber of Salisbury University’s Janet Dudley Eschbach Center for International Education, the meeting focused on opportunities to expand both cultural and educational partnership and collaboration between the two cities and their namesake universities.

During the Zoom meeting, representatives from Dalian voiced a desire to bolster their relationship with Salisbury and explore the potential for a more formal Sister City relationship. Representing Salisbury, Administrator Glanz discussed the potential for collaboration with the upcoming Maryland Folk Festival, which will be hosted by Salisbury in place of the National Folk Festival, starting in 2022. Exploring opportunities at Salisbury University, Dr. Stiegler expressed his desire to work with officials from the University of Dalian to offer virtual English as a Second Language (ESL) classes through SU’s Center for International Education.

Dalian is a gorgeous coastal city boasting a population of over five million. A center of industry, trade, and finance, Dalian is a vacation destination boasting over fifty national parks and welcoming tourists year-round with picturesque ski slopes and beaches. Through Salisbury’s partnership with the City of Dalian, we will continue to explore opportunities for mutually beneficial cross-cultural and educational partnerships through artistic, social, and informational exchanges.

Administrator Glanz stated, “I look forward to working with Vice Mayor Fang and other Dalian officials to explore the boundless potential for cultural and educational partnership between Salisbury and Dalian. As we celebrate our AAPI neighbors throughout Salisbury during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, it is fitting that we take this opportunity to both recognize and explore opportunities for continued collaboration with our friends in Dalian.”

The City of Salisbury values its partnerships with cities across the globe. With the assistance of Salisbury Sister Cities Liaison Nathaniel Sansom, Salisbury embraces an international spirit of multiculturalism by fostering relationships with our Sister Cities in Tartu, Estonia; Salisbury, England; and Salinas, Ecuador, as well as with our Friendship City of Dalian, China.

Founded in 2006, the Sister Cities Association of Salisbury was created in order to formalize the City’s relationship with Salisbury, England. Now, the organization is made up of approximately 15 volunteers. To learn more about Salisbury’s Sister Cities, visit https://salisbury.md/?p=39903.