Sister City Partnerships in the US as Gateways of Chinese Influence
Timeframe: 01/01/2018 – 01/01/2027
Key Insights
- Can U.S. cities protect themselves from foreign influence? As Sino-U.S. sister city partnerships come under growing scrutiny, Vincent Sipeer examines how local diplomacy has become an overlooked front in great power competition. He argues that while China’s tightly coordinated system gives it an asymmetric advantage, the U.S. must not emulate authoritarian control. Instead, he calls for a new strategy of geopolitical de-risking—one that builds local capacity, strengthens multi-level coordination, and safeguards democratic integrity in city-to-city relations.
Definition
Sister city partnership: A formal, long-term cooperation of communities in different states.
As U.S.-China great power competition resurges, the era of naïve global engagement is over.
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